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Updated: May 6, 2026
Sleeve Gastrectomy in Mice using Surgical Clips
Published on: November 14, 2020
Sub-sleeve gastrectomy achieves good diabetes control without weight loss in a non-obese diabetic rat model
Dong Sun1, Shaozhuang Liu, Guangyong Zhang
1Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
Background:
Although weight loss has been implicated in anti-diabetic effects, sleeve gastrectomy (SG)-mediated anti-diabetic effects are induced through mechanisms beyond weight loss. Our aim was to investigate whether anti-diabetic effects can be achieved by surgically removing a smaller portion of the stomach instead of SG.
Methods:
Male 11-week-old Goto-Kakizaki rats (N = 50) were randomized into five groups: sub-sleeve gastrectomy (SSG, only the gastric fundus is removed), SG, sham-operated SSG, sham-operated SG, and control. Body weight, food intake, hormone secretion, and glucose metabolism were measured up to 24 weeks after surgery.
Results:
The data showed that (i) both SSG and SG surgeries significantly improved glucose homeostasis, with lower ghrelin levels and higher post-prandial glucagon-like peptide 1, peptide YY, and insulin levels; (ii) SG, but not SSG, produced sustained weight loss and significant reduction of food intake; and (iii) SG induced better long-term diabetic improvement than SSG.
Conclusions:
The SSG that only removed the gastric fundus exhibited significant diabetic improvement without weight loss, but did not induce long-term diabetic improvement comparable to that of SG. Our study helps to understand the role of hormones and weight loss in maintaining long-term diabetes improvement after SG.
