ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM) associated with depres-sion by body weight, fasting blood glucose, manifestations, and open field test.Methods The T2DM rat model was induced by high fat diet and low dose of STZ injection, and in addition, the T2DM rats were made restraint stress for 21 days.32 Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal group ( group N) , T2DM group ( group T)and T2 DM with depression group ( group T +D) , with 8 rats in each group.After the model was established, to measure the body weight, fasting blood glucose at day 0, 7, 14, and 21, and observe the gross manifestations, drink-ing and diet, feces, urine, and mental state, and test the rat depression by open field test.Results After establish-ment of the T+D rat model, the rats in group T+D showed some symptoms, including messy dark and gloomy hair, slow movement, increasing drinking, diet, feces and urine and mental fatigue.At day 0, 7, 14, and 21, compared with the group N, the body weight of the group T and group T+D were decreased, showing a significant difference ( P0.05).Compared with the group N, the movement speed in 5 minutes in the group T was significantly slower than that in the group T , with a significant difference ( 5.1 ±0.4 cm/s vs.2.9 ±0.6 cm/s, P<0.05 ) , and even more slower than that in the group T +D, with a significant differ-ence (5.1 ±0.4 cm/s vs.2.4 ±0.5 cm/s, P<0.01) .Conclusions A rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus as-sociated with depression has been successfully established by high fat diet and injection of low dose streptozotocin in combination with restraint stress for 21 days.This rat model is useful for further relevant studies.