Metabolic features in disease-resistant as well as in spontaneously hypertensive rats and newly established obese Wistar Ottawa Karlsburg inbred rats

OBJECTIVE: Studies, comparing several disease-prone and disease-resistant r at strains to elucidate the extent and severity of syndromes resembling hum an diseases are lacking. Therefore we studied the inbred rat strains BB/OK, BN/Crl. LEW/K and WKY/Crl in comparison with SHR/Mol and WOKW/K rats as mo dels of metabolic syndrome. DESIGN: Body weight and body mass index (BMI) were measured in 12 males of each strain at 14 weeks. In addition blood glucose, serum triglycerides, ch olesterol, insulin and leptin were determined at 12, 13 and 14 weeks of age . RESULTS: In contrast to SHR animals, WOKW rats develop a severe metabolic s yndrome including obesity, hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinemia and dyslipidem ia. CONCLUSION: We conclude that; (i) the choice of disease-resistant inbred ra t strains as 'healthy controls' for a disease-prone strain has to be carefu lly evaluated; (ii) in comparison with SHR, WOKW rats develop most if not a ll facets of the metabolic syndrome described in human and (iii) as with th e human disease the syndrome in rats is polygenic.