P79 ULTRASONOGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DB/DB MOUSE, AN ANIMAL MODEL OF METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES

Purpose/Background/Objectives: The availability of an animal model that, beside common blood parameters like hyperglycemia or high lipid levels, reliably mirrors organ damage occurring in metabolic diseases, is an urgent need. These animals have not been fully characterized in terms of cardiovascular, renal and hepatic ultrasound parameters, and only sparse and discordant values can be found in literature. Aim of this paper is to provide a detailed, non invasive description of heart, vessels, liver and kidneys of the db/db mouse by ultrasound imaging. Methods: 16 wild type and 34 db/db 11 week-old male mice were studied. State of the art ultrasound technology was used to acquire images of cardiovascular, renal and hepatic districts. A full set of parameters describing function of the selected organs was evaluated. Results: db/db mice are characterized by systolic and diastolic dysfunction, confirmed by strain analysis. On the contrary, abdominal aortic and carotid stiffness seem to be not increased in these diabetic rodents; furthermore, they are characterized by a smaller mean diameter for both vessels. Renal microcirculation is significantly compromised, while liver steatosis is only borderline higher in db/db mice than in control animals. Conclusions: We offer here for the first time an in vivo detailed ultrasonographic characterization of the db/db mouse model, providing a useful tool for a thoughtful choice of the right rodent model for any experimental design.