Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2003 Feb;52(2):372-9.
doi: 10.2337/diabetes.52.2.372.

Increased dietary fat promotes islet amyloid formation and beta-cell secretory dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of islet amyloid

Affiliations
Comparative Study

Increased dietary fat promotes islet amyloid formation and beta-cell secretory dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of islet amyloid

Rebecca L Hull et al. Diabetes. 2003 Feb.

Abstract

Transgenic mice expressing the amyloidogenic human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) in their islet beta-cells are a model of islet amyloid formation as it occurs in type 2 diabetes. Our hIAPP transgenic mice developed islet amyloid when fed a breeder chow but not regular chow. Because the breeder chow contained increased amounts of fat, we hypothesized that increased dietary fat enhances islet amyloid formation. To test this hypothesis, we fed male hIAPP transgenic and nontransgenic control mice diets containing 15% (low fat), 30% (medium fat), or 45% (high fat) of calories derived from fat for 12 months, and we measured islet amyloid, islet endocrine cell composition, and beta-cell function. Increased dietary fat in hIAPP transgenic mice was associated with a dose-dependent increase in both the prevalence (percentage of islets containing amyloid deposits; 34 +/- 8, 45 +/- 8, and 58 +/- 10%, P < 0.05) and severity (percentage of islet area occupied by amyloid; 0.8 +/- 0.5, 1.0 +/- 0.5, and 4.6 +/- 2.5%, P = 0.05) of islet amyloid. In addition, in these hIAPP transgenic mice, there was a dose-dependent decrease in the proportion of islet area comprising beta-cells, with no significant change in islet size. In contrast, nontransgenic mice adapted to diet-induced obesity by increasing their islet size more than twofold. Increased dietary fat was associated with impaired insulin secretion in hIAPP transgenic (P = 0.05) but not nontransgenic mice. In summary, dietary fat enhances both the prevalence and severity of islet amyloid and leads to beta-cell loss and impaired insulin secretion. Because both morphologic and functional defects are present in hIAPP transgenic mice, this would suggest that the effect of dietary fat to enhance islet amyloid formation might play a role in the pathogenesis of the islet lesion of type 2 diabetes in humans.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms