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Diabetes

Diabetes is an increasing health and economic burden in the world. About 422 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes and 1.6 million death are directly related to diabetes each year. In patients with diabetes type 1 the pancreas produces little or no insulin by itself. Diabetes type 2 is characterized by an insulin resistance and it is more common with an increasing prevalence in all countries.

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Diabetes - In vivo Models​

• Genetic models: db/db mice, ob/ob mice, NOD mice 

Db/db and ob/ob mice have a defect in the leptin system.​ Obesity, insulin resistance, development of diabetes and diabetic complications characterize these models. Follow up in these models is 12 - 20 weeks.

• Chemically-induced diabetes models: Streptozotozin, Alloxan

Streptozotozin selectively damages the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. Follow up in this model is

6 - 14 weeks.​

• Diet induced obesity

We use a custom-made high fat diet to induce obesity and insulin resistance.

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Available Readouts

1. Development of diabetes

   • Blood glucose measurements, HbA1C

   • Body weight

2. Feed / Water intake​

3. Measurement of insulin resistance

   • Homer Index

   • Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

   • Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT)

   • Hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp in swiveled animals (on request)

4. Diabetic nephropathy - Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by early vascular dysfunction and increasing matrix accumulation in the kidney leading to proteinuria, glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis

   • Creatinine and BUN clearance

   • Glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

   • Albuminuria

   • Morphology (mesangial sclerosis and nodular sclerosis, arteriolar hyalinosis, glomerular basement thickening, tubule-interstitial fibrosis)

   • Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR for specific markers of interest

   • Inflammation (cytokine/chemokine profile in serum and kidney tissue, immunophenotyping of infiltrating leukocytes)

5. Diabetic neuropathy

   • Sensory and motor nerve conductance velocity

   • Histological and immunhistological analysis (upon request)

6. Diabetic retinopathy

   • Histological and immunhistological analysis

   • Western blotting and RT-PCR

7. Diabetic cardiomyopathy

   • Myocardial hypertrophy

   • Cardiac histology (extracellular matrix deposition, thickening of endothelial  basal membrane, fibrosis)

   • Cardiac immunohistochemistry (collagen, TGFb, p-AKT)

   • Expression of atrial (ANP) and brain (BNP) diuretic peptides

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