Markers of glycemic control in the mouse: comparisons of 6-h- and overnight-fasted blood glucoses to Hb A_1c

Abstract

The present studies examined the relationship between fasting blood glucose and Hb A1cin C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and KK/HlJ mice with and without diabetes mellitus. Daily averaged blood glucose levels based on continuous glucose monitoring and effects of 6-h vs. overnight fasting on blood glucose were determined. Daily averaged blood glucose levels were highly correlated with Hb A1c, as determined with a hand-held automated device using an immunodetection method. R2values were 0.90, 0.95, and 0.99 in KK/HIJ, C57BL/6J, and DBA/2J, respectively. Six-hour fasting blood glucose correlated more closely with the level of daily averaged blood glucose and with Hb A1cthan did blood glucose following an overnight fast. To validate the immunoassay-determined Hb A1c, we also measured total glycosylated hemoglobin using boronate HPLC. Hb A1cvalues correlated well with total glycosylated hemoglobin in all three strains but were relatively lower than total glycosylated hemoglobin in diabetic DBA/2J mice. These results show that 6-h fasting glucose provides a superior index of glycemic control and correlates more closely with Hb A1cthan overnight-fasted blood glucose in these strains of mice.

Standard operating procedures for describing and performing metabolic tests of glucose homeostasis in mice

“…An alternative approach is to measure hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, which are indicative of longterm glycemic trends. A recent publication reported a strong correlation between HbA1c and 6-hour fasting glucose levels compared with overnight fasting glucose levels in three mouse strains (C57BL/6J, DBA/2J and KK/HIJ) with and without diabetes (Han et al, 2008).…”

Effects of Chronic Caffeine Administration on Blood Glucose Levels and on Glucose Tolerance in Healthy and Diabetic Rats

“…Prior to every glucose measurement, each rat underwent 12 h of overnight fasting as described previously. 20 After fasting, to determine baseline glucose levels, blood samples (0.1 µl) were collected from the distal end of the tail and analysed immediately using an Accutrend ® Plus glucometer with the corresponding Accutrend ® test strips (Roche, Mannheim, Germany).…”

NIH experiment in centralized mouse phenotyping: the Vanderbilt experience and recommendations for evaluating glucose homeostasis in the mouse

“…Standardization of procedures and characterization of inbred strains are important goals of the Vanderbilt MMPC (4,7,16,21,23). The goals of standardization are to optimize experimental designs and allow for direct comparison between different laboratories that have common tests.…”

“…Glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb) is a good marker of long-term differences in glucose concentration in humans and is less sensitive to conditional variations in blood glucose. Hb is also a good marker of blood glucose in mice, and Hb A 1c is a strong reflection of total Hb in most mouse strains (16).…”