Haemorheological variables in a rat model of hypertriglyceridaemic obesity and diabetes

Obesity is a heterogeneous condition of variable aetiology, generally associated with pathologies such as arterial hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes and cardiac disease. These conditions, either themselves or because of the various treatments used, may further modify blood rheology in an arbitrary manner. Therefore, analyses of changes in the blood rheology induced by obesity in humans have had differing and controversial results. In our laboratory, a model of hypertriglyceridaemic obesity is provided by an inbred rat strain; the beta genotype from the IIMb/Fm strain, presenting a syndrome of moderate obesity with apparent peripubertal onset, associated with hypertriglyceridaemia and glucose intolerance that turns into diabetes. The alpha genotype, originated from the same IIM/Fm stock, represents the control. The present study describes a comparative analysis of the variables determining the rheological behaviour of the blood in obese and control strains. Our results, agreeing with some other studies performed in humans, confirmed the haemorheological changes associated with obesity, and the fact that these changes became more evident in the presence of pathologies such as diabetes. It appears that triglyceridaemia. cholesterolaemia and hyperglycaemia may influence the rheological behaviour of the cell membrane and this damage may provoke a decrease in erythrocyte deformability and, consequently, hyperviscosity of the blood.