Alterações estruturais pancreáticas e metabólicas em camundongos C57BL/6 alimentados com dieta de alta densidade energética

Abstract

Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice fed different diets during 16 weeks: very high-fat chow (HFC, 26% of calories from carbohydrates, 60% from fat, and 14% from protein), or standard chow (SC, 76% of calories from carbohydrates, 10% from fat, and 14% from protein). Compared to SC mice, the HFC mice showed greater mass gain and greater total visceral fat pads, as well as higher plasma levels of triglycerides, LDL-C, ALT, AST and ALK, and higher plasma corticosterone, fasting plasma glucose and insulin with the consequent insulin resistance (assessed by HOMA-IR). In OGTT, The plasma glucose increased to a maximum after 15 min of glucose oral administration in both groups. However, the glucose level in HFC mice was higher than in SC mice (P<0.0001). The clearance of glucose in HFC mice showed a delay, remaining elevated after 120 min (P<0.001), characterizing an impairment of glucose clearance in HFC mice when compared to SC mice. The insulin tolerance test demonstrated quick decrease of plasma glucose after 15 min of insulin administration in both groups, but plasma glucose remained significantly high in HFC mice when compared to SC mice (P<0.0001) in the following time-points until 120 min. In conclusion, C57BL/6 mice respond to a very high-fat diet developing the aggregate of symptoms and signs associated with the metabolic syndrome seen in humans. Therefore, this animal model could help us better understand the target organ alterations associated with the syndrome and the possibility of different treatments.