Leptin and Its Relation to Obesity and Insulin in the SHR/N-corpulent Rat, A Model of Type II Diabetes Mellitus

The spontaneously hypertensive/NIH-corpulent (SHR/N-cp) rat is a genetic animal model that exhibits obesity, metabolic features of hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia, which are characteristic of type II diabetes and mild hypertension. To determine the role of leptin, the protein product of theobgene, in the development of obesity and diabetes in this model, we measured steady-state circulating levels of leptin in obese and lean SHR/N-cp rats and examined the relation between plasma leptin levels and metabolic variables at the stage of established obesity in these animals. Mean fasting plasma leptin concentration was 8-fold higher in obese than in lean rats (p