[Animal modeling] - Comparison of insulin resistance atherosclerosis models between white haired black eyed rabbits and Japanese big ear white rabbits

  Objective: To investigate the phenotypic difference and pathological mechanism of insulin resistance atherosclerosis models in white haired black eye (WHBE) rabbits and Japanese big ear white (JW) rabbits

  Method: Twelve WHBE rabbits and twelve JW rabbits were selected and divided into a normal control group (NC) and a high-fat and high sugar diet (HF) group, with six rabbits in each group. The IR-AS model was induced by HF diet for 12 weeks. After modeling, blood lipids, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured; Perform a glucose tolerance test and calculate the area under the blood glucose and insulin curves; Detect the expression of liver microsomal triglyceride transport protein (MTTP), nuclear factor E2 (Nrf2), and SOD1 genes, and observe the pathological changes of HE staining in adipose tissue and aortic blood vessels, as well as the expression of vascular CD68

  Result: Compared with the NC group, the HF group had obesity, elevated blood lipids, impaired glucose tolerance, significantly increased hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), decreased plasma and liver SOD activity and increased MDA content, increased liver MTTP and Nrf2 gene expression and decreased SOD 1 gene expression, significantly increased vascular lipid deposition, AS, and vascular CD68 expression; Compared with the JWHF group, there were significant differences in TG, LDL-C, HOMA-IR, area under glucose tolerance curve (U_GLU), MDA content, fat diameter, liver SOD1 gene expression, AS lesion degree, and vascular CD68 expression in the WBHF group

  Conclusion: A high-fat and high sugar diet can induce the formation of IR-AS in rabbits, exhibiting lipid metabolism disorders, inflammation, and AS lesions. However, the degree of lesions in WHBE rabbits is significantly more severe than that in JW rabbits, which may be related to the differences in lipid metabolism and oxidative stress responses between these two strains of rabbits