EXPERIMENTAL RODENT MODELS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES: A REVIEW

Due to the high prevalence of diabetes worldwide, extensive research is still being performed to develop new antidiabetic agents and determine their mechanisms of action. Consequently, a number of diabetic animal models have been developed and improved over the years, of which rodent models ore the most thoroughly described. These rodent models can be classified into two brood categories: 7) genetically induced spontaneous diabetes models; and 2) experimentally induced nonspontoneous diabetes models. The popularity of using experimentally induced nonspontoneous models for diabetes research over that of the genetically induced spontaneous models is due to their comporotively lower cost, ease of diabetes induction, ease of maintenance and wider availability. The various experimentally induced type 2 diabetes (T2D) rodent models developed over the lost 30-plus years for both routine pharmocologicol screening and mechanistic diabetes-linked research trials include: adult streptozotocin (STZ)/alloxan rot models, neonatal STZ/alloxan models, partial poncreatectomy models, longterm high-fot (HF) diet-fed models, HF diet-fed STZ models, nicotinamide/STZ models, intrauterine growth retardation (IUCR) models, the STZ-induced progressive diabetic model and manosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced model. The use of these models, however is not without limitations. A T2D model should ideally portray an identical biochemical blood profile and pathogenesis to T2D in humans. Hence, this review will comparatively evaluate experimentally induced rodent T2D models considering the above-mentioned criteria, in order to guide diabetes research groups to more accurately select the most appropriate models given their specific research requirements.