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Updated: Nov 17, 2025

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
Doxycycline in Extremely Low Dose Improves Glycemic Control and Islet Morphology in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet
Yixin Chen1, Yu Chen2, Na Wang2
1Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China.
Purpose:
Chronic low-grade inflammation is detected in obese and diabetic individuals. Tetracyclines, used as antibiotics for years, have been demonstrated to have diverse non-bactericidal effects, including anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to investigate whether doxycycline at sub-antimicrobial concentrations could improve glycemic control in mice fed a high-fat diet, through its anti-inflammatory activities.
Methods:
C57BL/6J mice were fed with a high-fat diet to induce diabetic and obese conditions. Three sub-antimicrobial dosages of doxycycline (200, 20, and 2 μg/mL) were added to drinking water for 23 weeks during the housing phase.
Results:
Doxycycline at 200 μg/mL tended to increase body weight, islet mass, and the percentage of large islets (diameter >350 μm). At 20 μg/mL, doxycycline significantly improved glucose tolerance and decreased fasting blood glucose. At 2 μg/mL, doxycycline increased the percentage of small islets (diameter <80 μm). Serum C-reactive protein and lipopolysaccharide levels significantly decreased while the beta-cell ratio increased in all doxycycline-administered mice.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that doxycycline, even at an extremely low dose, could improve glycemic control and islet morphology via its anti-inflammatory activities.
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