Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test, Measurement of Lung Function, and Fixation of the Lung to Study the Impact of Obesity and Impaired Metabolism on Pulmonary Outcomes

Summary

The incidence of obesity is rising and increases the risk of chronic lung diseases. To establish the underlying mechanisms and preventive strategies, well-defined animal models are needed. Here, we provide three methods (glucose-tolerance-test, body plethysmography, and lung fixation) to study the effect of obesity on pulmonary outcomes in mice.

Abstract

Obesity and respiratory disorders are major health problems. Obesity is becoming an emerging epidemic with an expected number of over 1 billion obese individuals worldwide by 2030, thus representing a growing socioeconomic burden. Simultaneously, obesity-related comorbidities, including diabetes as well as heart and chronic lung diseases, are continuously on the rise. Although obesity has been associated with increased risk for asthma exacerbations, worsening of respiratory symptoms, and poor control, the functional role of obesity and perturbed metabolism in the pathogenesis of chronic lung disease is often underestimated, and underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. This article aims to present methods to assess the effect of obesity on metabolism, as well as lung structure and function. Here, we describe three techniques for mice studies: (1) assessment of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance (ipGTT) to analyze the effect of obesity on glucose metabolism; (2) measurement of airway resistance (Res) and respiratory system compliance (Cdyn) to analyze the effect of obesity on lung function; and (3) preparation and fixation of the lung for subsequent quantitative histological assessment. Obesity-related lung diseases are probably multifactorial, stemming from systemic inflammatory and metabolic dysregulation that potentially adversely influence lung function and the response to therapy. Therefore, a standardized methodology to study molecular mechanisms and the effect of novel treatments is essential.

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, aged 20 and older, were overweight with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25; further, over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese (BMI≥30)¹. Obesity and metabolic syndrome are major risk factors for a multitude of diseases. While obesity and concomitant increased white adipose tissue mass has been intimately linked to type 2 diabetes^2,3, cardio-vascular diseases including coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation⁴

Protocol

All animal procedures were conducted in compliance with protocols approved by local government authorities (Land NRW, AZ: 2012.A424), and were in accordance with the German animal welfare law and the regulations on the welfare of animals used for experiments or for other scientific purposes. Since lung function analysis may affect lung structure and therefore subsequent histological analyzes, the measurement of Res and Cdyn and the preparation and fixation of the lung for histomorphometry should be performed in different animals. However, measurement of Res and Cdyn following ipGTT is possible. Since stress during the ipGTT could interfere with the anesthesia needed f....

Results

Representative results of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (ipGTT) (Figure 4), lung function test (Figure 5), and representative images illustrating hematoxylin and eosin stained lungs (Figure 6).

The ipGTT was performed in obese mice (blue) after 7 weeks of high-fat-diet (HFD). Standard diet-fed mice served as controls (black). Obese.......

Discussion

This report provides three protocols for three different methods to analyze the impact of obesity on glucose metabolism and pulmonary outcomes. First, the glucose tolerance test offers the opportunity to analyze intracellular glucose uptake and can be indicative of insulin resistance. Second, whole body plethysmography is a technique to measure lung function and is thereby helpful to test the efficacy of novel treatments. Third, a standardized fixation protocol is essential for quantitative morphometric analysis to asses.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
GlucoMen LX	A.Menarini diagnostics, Firneze, Italy	38969	blood glucose meter
GlucoMen LX Sensor	A.Menarini diagnostics, Firneze, Italy	39765	Test stripes
Glucose 20%	B. Braun, Melsung, Germany	2356746
FinePointe Software	DSI, MC s´Hertogenbosch, Netherlands	601-1831-002
FinePointe RC Single Site Mouse Table	DSI, MC s´Hertogenbosch, Netherlands	601-1831-001
FPRC Controller	DSI, MC s´Hertogenbosch, Netherlands	601-1075-001
FPRC Aerosol Block	DSI, MC s´Hertogenbosch, Netherlands	601-1106-001
Aerogen neb head-5.2-4um	DSI, MC s´Hertogenbosch, Netherlands	601-2306-001
Forceps	FST, British Columbia, Canada	11065-07
Blunt scissors	FST, British Columbia, Canada	14105-12
Micro scissors	FST, British Columbia, Canada	15000-00
Perma-Hand 4-0	Ethicon, Puerto Rico, USA	736H	Surgical suture
Roti-Histofix 4%	Roth	P087.1	4% Paraformaldehyd
Ketaset	Zoetis, Berlin, Germany	10013389	Ketamine
Rompun 2%	Bayer, Leverkusen, Germany	770081	Xylazine