Abstract. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has become an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the blood glucose mechanism involved remains unclear. In this study, 60 male Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (each with 10 rats): the GB1/2 group (treated with gastric bypass surgery), the SO1/2 group (treated with sham operation) and the CO1/2 group (with normal water consumption only). We tested expression levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) mRNA, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase subunit p85α (PI3Kp85α) in the adipose tissues. We found that the weight, fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose decreased in the GB group compared with the CO group. A total of 20 and 30 days after surgery, PPARγ2, PI3Kp85α and GLUT4 increased in the fat tissue in the GB group compared with the CO group. However, 20 days after surgery, TNFα mRNA decreased in fat tissue by 0.51 times in the GB group compared with the CO group, and serum TNFα levels showed no statistically significant difference. Fasting blood glucose and GLUT4 membrane protein were negatively correlated. In conclusion, RYGB may improve insulin resistance and treat T2DM through upregulation of the PPARγ2 protein, downregulation of TNFα mRNA transcription, through the autocrine pathway, upregulation of PI3Kp85α expression, upregulation of GLUT4 mRNA transcripts and by inducing translocation of GLUT4 in adipose tissue.
IntroductionIt has been reported that the incidence of diabetes has increased to up to 9.7% of the population over the age of 20 in China (almost 92.4 million in total) (1). Globally, China has become the country with the fastest growth in diabetes incidence, overtaking India. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients account for 90% of all patients with diabetes, and the number of diabetes patients overall has increased primarily due to the increase in T2DM patients. Over the years, the clinical treatment of T2DM has involved using traditional conservative therapy, including drugs to stimulate insulin secretion and insulin replacement therapy. However, according to a recent study, drug therapy and insulin replacement therapy cannot delay the complications in high-risk T2DM patients and cannot improve the prognosis (2). A weight-loss surgeon discovered coincidentally that the blood glucose in obese Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients with T2DM decreased to normal levels postoperatively and was maintained in the long-term (3). Currently, as the medical treatment of T2DM and control of complications is generally ineffective, this discovery will undoubtedly bring a glimmer of hope for the majority of T2DM patients.The main clinical manifestations of T2DM include damaged islet cell function and progressive increases of insulin resistance (4). In the pathogenesis of T2DM, insulin resistance is an important link, which is mainly caused by decreasing the glucose uptake and use of the peripheral tissues. In ...