We found that mice with deletion of the insulin receptor alone showed not only hyperglycemia but also a 70% decrease in plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 and delayed growth during the first 2 months of life, a 24-fold increase in the soluble leptin receptor and a 19-fold increase in plasma leptin levels.
Leptin receptor deficient (db/db) mice were used as a spontaneous model of type 2 diabetes and blood and hair samples were collected at 8weeks of age, after the development of hyperglycemia and obesity.
Black and tan, brachyury (BTBR) mice deficient for the leptin receptor (ob/ob) develop many of the pathological features of human DN and, remarkably, treatment with exogenous leptin ameliorates hyperglycaemia, albuminuria and glomerulosclerosis.