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Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Study of In Vivo Glucose Metabolism in High-fat Diet-fed Mice Using Oral Glucose Tolerance Test OGTT and Insulin Tolerance Test ITT
Published on: January 7, 2018
Experimental model of glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance
Beatriz Bertolaccini Martínez1, Ana Carolina Couto Pereira2, Júlio Henrique Muzetti2
1Full Professor, Medical Physiology Division, School of Medicine, Postgraduate Program in Sciences Applied to Health, Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí (UNIVAS), Pouso Alegre-MG, Brazil. Conception and design of the study; acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data; manuscript writing; critical revision.
Purpose::
To evaluate metabolic effects in experimental model of glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance.
Methods::
Twenty Wistar male rats were randomly divided into two groups, which were treated with intraperitoneally injected dexamethasone 1mg/Kg/day for ten days consecutively (Group D; n=10) and placebo (Group C; n=10). The variables analyzed were: from the first to the 10th day - body weight (before and after treatment); food and water daily consumption; on the 10th day - glycemia, insulinemia, HOMA-beta and HOMA-IR. The blood samples for laboratory analysis were obtained by intracardiac puncture. Also on the 10th day liver fragments were taken for analyzing glycogen and fattty.
Results::
Group D animals compared to group C had: weight reduction (g), (D=226.5±24.7 vs C=295.0±25.4; p=0.001); increased glycemia (mmol/l) (D=19.5±2.1 vs C=14.2±3.1; p=0.0001); diminished insulinemia (mU/l) (D=0.2±0.1 vs C=2.0±0.4; p=0.0001); reduced HOMA-β (D=0.2±0.1 vs C=4.2±1.7; p=0.0002); diminished HOMA-IR (D=0.2±0.1 vs C=1.3±0.4; p=0.0002). Histological examination of the liver showed that 100% of group D and none of group C had moderate fatty. (p=0.2).
Conclusion::
Animals treated with glucocorticoid, in this experimental model, expressed hyperglycemia, hypoinsulinism and decreased peripheral insulin sensitivity.
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