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Surgical models of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy in rats and mice

Nature Protocols volume 10, pages 495–507 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Bariatric surgery is the only definitive solution currently available for the present obesity pandemic. These operations typically involve reconfiguration of gastrointestinal tract anatomy and impose profound metabolic and physiological benefits, such as substantially reducing body weight and ameliorating type II diabetes. Therefore, animal models of these surgeries offer unique and exciting opportunities to delineate the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the resolution of obesity and diabetes. Here we describe a standardized procedure for mouse and rat models of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (80–90 min operative time) and sleeve gastrectomy (30–45 min operative time), which, to a high degree, resembles operations in humans. We also provide detailed protocols for both pre- and postoperative techniques that ensure a high success rate in the operations. These protocols provide the opportunity to mechanistically investigate the systemic effects of the surgical interventions, such as regulation of body weight, glucose homeostasis and gut microbiome.

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Figure 1: Schematic representations of clinical RYGB and SGx.
Figure 2: Procedural and animal care timeline.
Figure 3: RYGB in the rat.
Figure 4: Sleeve gastrectomy in the rat.
Figure 5: Representative body weight and food intake results26,32.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by US National Institutes of Health grant no. DK095558 to N.S.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Bote G Bruinsma, Korkut Uygun, Martin L Yarmush & Nima Saeidi

Authors
  1. Bote G Bruinsma
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  2. Korkut Uygun
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Contributions

N.S. developed and performed the operations; B.G.B. provided figures; N.S. and B.G.B. wrote the manuscript; K.U. contributed to the initial design of the experiments; and N.S. and M.L.Y. contributed to the conceptual development.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Martin L Yarmush or Nima Saeidi.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Bruinsma, B., Uygun, K., Yarmush, M. et al. Surgical models of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy in rats and mice. Nat Protoc 10, 495–507 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2015.027

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