Review Article

An Overview of Murine High Fat Diet as a Model for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Table 2

Common diet durations.

DurationKey findingsReferences#

12 weeksIdentified diabetic symptoms in wild type C57BL/6 mice: these were not found in the wild type MRL mice.[12]
Identified diabetic cardiomyopathy symptoms in wild type C57BL/6 mice: these were not found in the wild type MRL cardiac tissue.[16]
Identified sulforaphane (an antioxidant) decreases diabetic cardiomyopathy in a HFD plus streptozotocin model.[54]

16 weeksIn WT C57BL/6 HFD increased LVW by 21%.
In WT C57BL/6 HFD increased liver weight by 86%.
[55]

12-, 16-, and 20-week comparisons Epididymal AT death peaks at 16 weeks of HFD, compared to 12 and 20 weeks. This is coincident with a peak of AT macrophages. Inguinal AT death was less pronounced at all times tested.[56]

24 weeksIdentified that a Th1 immune response caused mice to be more susceptible to HFD pathologies.[48]

8-, 12-, and 16-month comparisons At 8 months hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hypercholesterolemia and insulin resistance were found. Cardiac remodeling by echo was also identified. At 16 months the authors also report cardiac metabolic compensations and tissue remodeling in the form of fibrosis and hypertrophy.[18]

8-, 30-, and 60-week comparisons NAFLD and HCC established at 30 weeks and significant liver pathology observed at 8 weeks of HFD.[21, 57]

6 and 16 weeksIdentified liver pathology only at 16 weeks and only in males.[58]

6 weeksIncreased LV mass and reduced FS. [59]

AT, adipose tissue; FS, fractional shortening; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; LV, left ventricle; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. #References are given where inappropriate.