OBESITY-INDUCED BY NEONATAL MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE TREATMENT IN SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS - AN ANIMAL-MODEL OF MULTIPLE RISK-FACTORS

The present study was designed to develop an animal model of multiple risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, non-insulin-dependent d iabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. Hypothalamic obesity was induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate (MSG) treatment in spontaneously hyp ertensive rats (SHR). Female newborn SHR were treated intraperitoneall y with 2 or 4 mg/kg body weight of MSG for 5 days. Obesity developed i n SHR treated with 4 mg/kg of MSG but not in SHR treated with 2 mg/kg of MSG. Obese SHR had impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, an d hypertriglyceridemia. However, the severity of hypertension was atte nuated in obese SHR as compared with control SHR. The degree of obesit y was closely related to the metabolic abnormalities, but inversely co rrelated with the blood pressure level. Macrovascular changes were inv estigated in obese SHR at 14 months of age. Intimal thickening was acc elerated in the carotid artery of obese SHR as compared with that of n onobese SHR. Aortic contents of DNA and total cholesterol were signifi cantly increased in obese SHR. SHR associated with MSG-induced obesity showed major manifestations of metabolic syndrome X. This animal mode l may be useful to study the clustering of risk factors for the develo pment of macrovascular diseases.