The ob/+ mice consumed 24% more food than +/+ mice although body weights were similar. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were respectively 16% and 176% higher in ob/+ mice than +/+ mice in the freely fed state, and 44% and 88% higher during glucose tolerance tests. In 24 hour fasted ob/+ mice, plasma glucose concentrations were 23~ higher than +/+ mice but plasma insulin concentrations were not significantly different. Arginine produced a greater insulin response (172%) and a greater fall in glycaemia (200%) in ob/ + mice. A significant difference in the hypoglycaemic effect of insulin in oh~+ and +/+ mice was not observed. These results demonstrate an effect of the ob gene on glucose homeostasis in heterozygous lean (ob/+) mice. The abnormalities were qualitatively similar but considerably less severe than those in ob/ob mice, suggesting that ob/+ mice might prove useful to study factors predisposing to inappropriate hyperglycaemia.Key words: Expression of ob gene, glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, ob/+ mice, obese hyperglycaemic syndrome.The obese hyperglycaemic (ob/ob) syndrome in mice is characterized by numerous metabolic abnormalities, the most prominent of which include obesity, hyperglycaemia, hyperinsufinaemia and insulin resistance [6,18]. The inheritance of the syndrome as an autosomal recessive trait [21] implies that a single nucleic acid in the genetic code has been altered, resulting in the synthesis of a defective peptide. The one-gene-one peptide concept has assisted the elucidation of a number of genetically transmitted diseases associated with mild abnormalities in the heterozygous condition [17]. Materials and Methods AnimalsHomozygous obese (ob/bb), heterozygous lean (ob/+) and homozygous lean (+/+) mice from the colony maintained at the University of Aston in Birmingham were used in a present study. Male mice of each genotype were examined at 20 weeks of age. Throughout this period, the animals were housed in an air-conditioned room at 22 • 2 ~ with a regular lighting schedule of 9.5 h light (0800-1730h) and 14.5h dark. A standard pellet diet (Mouse breeding diet, Heygate & Sons Ltd, Northampton) and tap water were supplied ad libitum. Food was withheld 24 h prior to certain experiments as indicated below.A selective breeding programme was used to provide established ob/+ and +/+ lean mice. Heterozygous breeding pairs were originally identified by mating unclassified lean (?/+) mice

The effects on glucose homeostasis of eleven plants used as traditional treatments for diabetes mellitus were evaluated in normal and streptozotocin diabetic mice. Dried leaves of agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), blackberry (Rubus fructicosus), celandine (Chelidonium majus), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), lady's mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris), and lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis); seeds of coriander (Coriandrum sativum); dried berries of juniper (Juniperus communis); bulbs of garlic (Allium sativum) and roots of liquorice (Glycyrhizza glabra) were studied. Each plant material was supplied in the diet (6.25% by weight) and some plants were additionally supplied as decoctions or infusions (1 g/400 ml) in place of drinking water to coincide with the traditional method of preparation. Food and fluid intake, body weight gain, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in normal mice were not altered by 12 days of treatment with any of the plants. After administration of streptozotocin (200 mg/kg i.p.) on day 12 the development of hyperphagia, polydipsia, body weight loss, hyperglycaemia and hypoinsulinaemia were not affected by blackberry, celandine, lady's mantle or lily of the valley. Garlic and liquorice reduced the hyperphagia and polydipsia but did not significantly alter the hyperglycaemia or hypoinsulinaemia. Treatment with agrimony, alfalfa, coriander, eucalyptus and juniper reduced the level of hyperglycaemia during the development of streptozotocin diabetes. This was associated with reduced polydipsia (except coriander) and a reduced rate of body weight loss (except agrimony). Alfalfa initially countered the hypoinsulinaemic effect of streptozotocin, but the other treatments did not affect the fall in plasma insulin. The results suggest that certain traditional plant treatments for diabetes, namely agrimony, alfalfa, coriander, eucalyptus and juniper, can retard the development of streptozotocin diabetes in mice.

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McClean PL, Irwin N, Cassidy RS, Holst JJ, Gault VA, Flatt PR. GIP receptor antagonism reverses obesity, insulin resistance, and associated metabolic disturbances induced in mice by prolonged consumption of high-fat diet. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 293: E1746-E1755, 2007. First published September 11, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00460.2007.-The gut hormone gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) plays a key role in glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. This study investigated the effects of administration of a stable and specific GIP receptor antagonist, (Pro 3 )GIP, in mice previously fed a high-fat diet for 160 days to induce obesity and related diabetes. Daily intraperitoneal injection of (Pro 3 )GIP over 50 days significantly decreased body weight compared with salinetreated controls, with a modest increase in locomotor activity but no change of high-fat diet intake. Plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and pancreatic insulin were restored to levels of chow-fed mice, and circulating triglyceride and cholesterol were significantly decreased. (Pro 3 )GIP treatment also significantly decreased circulating glucagon and corticosterone, but concentrations of GLP-1, GIP, resistin, and adiponectin were unchanged. Adipose tissue mass, adipocyte hypertrophy, and deposition of triglyceride in liver and muscle were significantly decreased. These changes were accompanied by significant improvement of insulin sensitivity, meal tolerance, and normalization of glucose tolerance in (Pro 3 )GIP-treated high-fat-fed mice. (Pro 3 )GIP concentrations peaked rapidly and remained elevated 24 h after injection. These data indicate that GIP receptor antagonism using (Pro 3 )GIP provides an effective means of countering obesity and related diabetes induced by consumption of a high-fat, energy-rich diet.gastric inhibitory polypeptide; antagonist; high-fat feeding GASTRIC INHIBITORY POLYPEPTIDE (GIP) is an important gastrointestinal hormone secreted from intestinal K cells in response to feeding (35). Together with the sister incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), GIP comprises the hormonal arm of the enteroinsular axis involved in postprandial nutrient homeostasis (7). The most widely accepted physiological role for GIP is glucose-dependent potentiation of insulin secretion (33). The importance of pancreatic ␤-cells as a target for GIP is further illustrated by the ability of the hormone to stimulate the neogenesis, differentiation, and proliferation of insulinsecreting ␤-cells (10, 43). These various actions have given rise to GIP being implicated as a potentially important player in both the pathogenesis and potential treatment of type 2 diabetes (7,17,48).In addition to the classical ␤-cell target, the GIP receptor is expressed on various extrapancreatic tissues, including bone, intestine, heart, stomach, brain, and adipose tissue (46,49). The significance of GIP action at these sites is largely unknown, but the particularly potent and prolonged stimulation of GIP secretion after high-fat feeding (35) draws attention ...

Inhibitors of the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) provide a strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. DPP IV rapidly inactivates the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). Inhibition of DPP IV prolongs and enhances the activity of endogenous GLP-1 and GIP, which serve as important prandial stimulators of insulin secretion and regulators of blood glucose control. In clinical trials DPP IV inhibitors (or 'gliptins') have shown efficacy and tolerability in the management of hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes, without causing weight gain or hypoglycaemia.