The spontaneously hypertensive/NIH-corpulent (SHR/N-cp) rat is a genetic animal model that exhibits obesity, metabolic features of hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia, which are characteristic of type II diabetes and mild hypertension. To determine the role of leptin, the protein product of theobgene, in the development of obesity and diabetes in this model, we measured steady-state circulating levels of leptin in obese and lean SHR/N-cp rats and examined the relation between plasma leptin levels and metabolic variables at the stage of established obesity in these animals. Mean fasting plasma leptin concentration was 8-fold higher in obese than in lean rats (p<0.01). This was associated with a 6-fold elevation in plasma insulin in the obese group. Fasting levels of plasma glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride were all significantly higher in obese rats than in lean controls. Spearman correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between plasma leptin concentration and body weight among the animals (r=0.73, p<0.01). Similarly, plasma insulin concentration was significantly correlated with BW in all animals (r=0.54, p<0.05). There was also a significant positive.correlation between plasma leptin and plasma insulin in the entire group (r=0.70, p<0.01). However, this relationship was significant only for lean rats but not for obese rats (r=0.59, p<0.05 for lean rats, and r=0.23, p=NS, for obese rats). Plasma leptin also correlated positively with fasting plasma glucose (r=0.75, p<0.05), total cholesterol (r=0.63, p<0.05), and triglyceride (r=0.67, p <0.05). The marked elevation of plasma leptin in obese SHR/N-cp rats suggests that obesity in this animal model is related to up-regulation of the ob gene. Circulating leptin appears to be one of the best biological markers of obesity and that hyperleptinemia is closely associated with several metabolic risk factors related to insulin resistance in the diabesity syndrome.
自发性高血压/NIH-体质(SHR/N-cp)大鼠是一种遗传动物模型,它表现出肥胖、高胰岛素血症、高血糖和高脂血症等代谢特征,这是 II 型糖尿病和轻度高血压的特征。为了确定瘦素(theobgene的蛋白产物)在该模型肥胖和糖尿病发病过程中的作用,我们测定了肥胖和瘦SHR/N-cp大鼠体内瘦素的稳态循环水平,并研究了这些动物在肥胖确立阶段血浆瘦素水平与代谢变量之间的关系。肥胖大鼠的平均空腹血浆瘦素浓度是瘦大鼠的 8 倍(p<0.01)。这与肥胖组血浆胰岛素升高 6 倍有关。肥胖大鼠的空腹血浆葡萄糖、胆固醇和甘油三酯水平都明显高于瘦对照组。斯皮尔曼相关分析表明,动物血浆瘦素浓度与体重之间存在明显的正相关(r=0.73,p<0.01)。同样,所有动物的血浆胰岛素浓度与体重也呈显著正相关(r=0.54,p<0.05)。全组动物的血浆瘦素和血浆胰岛素之间也存在明显的正相关性(r=0.70,p<0.01)。然而,这种关系只对瘦大鼠显著,而对肥胖大鼠不显著(瘦大鼠 r=0.59,p<0.05;肥胖大鼠 r=0.23,p=NS)。血浆瘦素还与空腹血浆葡萄糖(r=0.75,p<0.05)、总胆固醇(r=0.63,p<0.05)和甘油三酯(r=0.67,p<0.05)呈正相关。肥胖 SHR/N-cp 大鼠血浆瘦素的明显升高表明,该动物模型的肥胖与 ob 基因的上调有关。循环瘦素似乎是肥胖的最佳生物学标志物之一,高瘦素血症与糖尿病综合征中与胰岛素抵抗有关的几个代谢风险因素密切相关。