Towards a better mouse model of vertical sleeve gastrectomy

Area of Science:

• Bariatric surgery research
• Obesity mechanisms
• Murine surgical models

Background:

• Bariatric surgery is the gold standard for obesity treatment, but its mechanisms are not fully understood.
• Rodent models are crucial for studying these mechanisms, with mouse vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) being the most common.
• This study focuses on technical aspects and complications of mouse VSG.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate different technical approaches for mouse vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG).
• To identify and characterize complications associated with mouse VSG.
• To develop a method for managing complications to ensure reliable study outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Wild-type male mice underwent variations of the VSG procedure.
• Metabolic outcomes including body weight, body composition, and glucose tolerance were assessed post-surgery.
• A necropsy was performed at 2 months to evaluate the gastric sleeve for complications.

Main Results:

• Chronic, contained gastric leak is a frequent complication of mouse VSG.
• A scoring system was developed to quantify and sort mice with gastric leaks.
• No surgical approach prevented leaks, and significant leaks impacted metabolic parameters due to inflammation.

Conclusions:

• Chronic gastric leaks are common in mouse VSG and can confound metabolic data.
• The developed scoring and sorting system is vital for quality control in murine VSG studies.
• Excluding mice with leaks allows for effective and reliable use of the VSG model.