QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Maher, M. A. Articles by Zemel, M. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Maher, M. A. Articles by Zemel, M. B.

Variations of Blood Pressures in Lean Zucker Rats Fed Low or High Fat Diets^1,2,

Margaret A. Maher^*,,, William J. Banz and Michael B. Zemel^*,,**,3

^* Life Sciences Physiology Program and Department of Nutrition ^** Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1900

The purpose of this study was to determine whether lean (Fa/?) Zucker rats which exhibit greater metabolic efficiency in response to a high (48%) fat diet also exhibit hypertension. Twenty-nine lean (Fa/?) and eleven obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats were fed low (12% energy) and high (48% energy) fat diets. Food intake and weight change were recorded weekly to obtain an index of energy efficiency. After 6 wk, direct intra-arterial blood pressure was measured in conscious, unrestrained animals. Arterial blood was collected for analyses of plasma insulin and glucose. The high fat diet had no effect on blood pressure in obese rats, although obese animals fed both diets had significantly higher blood pressure than lean siblings. High fat feeding in lean rats unmasked a heterogeneity in blood pressure. Blood pressure in this group was significantly correlated with weight change, energy efficiency ratio and plasma glucose concentration. Lean rats fed the high fat diet with blood pressures above the group median exhibited significantly greater plasma insulin (P < 0.02) and glucose (P < 0.01) concentration and energy efficiency ratios (P < 0.01) than those with lower blood pressures. Thus, it appears that there were two groups of lean animals present, one of which was more phenotypically sensitive to high fat feeding than the other. This suggests a possible gene dosage effect of the fa allele in the Zucker rat model.

KEY WORDS: • gene dosage • high fat diet • hypertension • insulin resistance • Zucker rats

¹ Supported by the American Heart Association and by the Tennessee Agricultural Experimental Station.

² The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 9 January 1995. Revision accepted 9 June 1995.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. J. Henriksen, M. K. Teachey, K. A. Lindborg, C. J. Diehl, and A. N. Beneze The high-fat-fed lean Zucker rat: a spontaneous isocaloric model of fat-induced insulin resistance associated with muscle GSK-3 overactivity Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, June 1, 2008; 294(6): R1813 - R1821. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]