Abstract:
The present report concerns several post-mortem
variables examined in sand rats that were either maintained
on a vegetal diet (control animals) or exposed first during a
20-day transition period to a mixed diet consisting of a fixed
amount of a hypercaloric food and decreasing amounts of the
vegetal food and then to a 30-day experimental period of
exposure to the hypercaloric food. During the latter period,
all animals were either given free access to food or fasting
daily for 15 h, i.e. from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. The body
weight, liver wet weight, pancreas wet weight, plasma
glucose and haemoglobin A1c concentration, plasma insulin
concentration, insulinogenic index, insulin resistance HOMA,
plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentration, liver
triglyceride and phospholipid content were all measured.
Pancreatic islet (insulin, GLUT2) and liver (lipid droplets)
histology were also examined. The main findings consisted
in a lower body weight of fasting than non-fasting animals, a
higher liver weight in non-diabetic and diabetic rats than in
control non-fasting (but not so in fasting) animals, a decrease
of pancreas weight in non-diabetic and diabetic as distinct
from control animals, a fasting-induced decrease in plasma
glucose, plasma insulin and insulin resistance HOMA, plasma
cholesterol and triglyceride concentration and triglyceride
liver content.
