Our rodent models of Type 2 diabetes (e.g. STZ-treated mice and rats on a high-fat diet or commercially available genetically diabetic animals) can be used to investigate the effects of drugs on serious microvascular complications of diabetes. These include diabetic nephropathy and diabetic neuropathy.

 

Diabetic Nephropathy

Our HFD STZ model can be used to assess potential treatments of diabetic nephropathy. We are able to determine the degree of renal impairment with a range of markers, these include:

• Urinary Biomarkers (Albumin, Creatinine, Protein, TIM-1 and Cystatin-C)
• Plasma Biomarkers (Creatinine and Urea)
• Glomerular Filtration Rate (FITC Insulin Clearance Test)
• Kidney Hypertrophy (Kidney Weight)
• Histopathological Changes e.g. Glomerulosclerosis, tubulo interstitial changes and interstitial and glomerular fibrosis.

Alongside our HFD STZ model, we can also assess kidney function in other models of nephropathy, for example, the ZDF rat.

 

Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy can be assessed in animal models of diabetes by measuring:

• Thermal Pain Sensitivity (Hargreaves test). This test measures the latency of an animal to withdraw a hind paw from a radiant heat source
• Mechanical Allodynia (von Frey test). This test determines the threshold at which an animal will withdraw a hind paw from mechanical pressure applied from calibrated von Frey filaments.

We have shown the development of thermal hypoalgesia and mechanical allodynia in STZ-treated rodents maintained on a high-fat diet and db/db mice.

 

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