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Age dependence of glucose tolerance in adult KK-Ay mice, a model of non–insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

Lab Animal volume 38, pages 364–368 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Yellow KK mice carrying the 'yellow obese' gene Ay are a well established polygenic model for human non–insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. These animals develop marked adiposity and decreased glucose tolerance relative to their control littermates, KK mice. The authors monitored glucose tolerance in KK-Ay mice over time and observed a significant (P ≤ 0.05) age-dependent improvement (13.3% by 175 d of age and 36.4% by 212 d of age, relative to 85 d of age). During the same time period, body weight and food and water consumption were relatively constant. The authors also measured plasma levels of endocrine hormones that are important in diabetes. Levels of insulin were approximately 8 times higher and levels of amylin 3 times higher in 220-d-old KK-Ay mice than in 180-d-old mice, whereas levels of glucagon-like peptide 1, glucagon and leptin remained relatively constant. These findings suggest that KK-Ay mice undergo an age-dependent improvement of glucose tolerance when maintained on a normal diet for 25 weeks or longer, due in part to increases in plasma levels of insulin and amylin.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Award and by the Margaret and Herman Sokol endowment. D.-E.L. was supported by the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. We thank Ernest Rogers, DVM, PhD, for his expertise and supervision of our mouse studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ

    Goutam Chakraborty & Sherin Thumpayil

  2. Department of Neurochemistry, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY

    Goutam Chakraborty

  3. Department of Mathematics, Applied and Health Sciences, Kean University, Union, NJ

    David-Erick Lafontant &  Wolde Woubneh

  4. College of Natural, Applied and Health Sciences, Kean University, Union, NJ

    Jeffrey H. Toney

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  1. Goutam Chakraborty
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  2. Sherin Thumpayil
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  3. David-Erick Lafontant
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  4. Wolde Woubneh
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  5. Jeffrey H. Toney
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Correspondence to Jeffrey H. Toney.

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Chakraborty, G., Thumpayil, S., Lafontant, DE. et al. Age dependence of glucose tolerance in adult KK-Ay mice, a model of non–insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Lab Anim 38, 364–368 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban1109-364

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