We compared rats with late-onset T2D that display pancreatic and cardiac phenotypes similar to those in humans with T2D (HIP rats) and their nondiabetic littermates (wild type [WT]).
Pregnancy can therefore be considered a stress test; diagnosis of HIP can unmask a preexisting susceptibility and consequently a future risk for type 2 diabetes and can be a useful marker of future cardiovascular risk.
We report that circadian activity, light-induced entrainment, molecular clockwork, as well as melatonin secretion are preserved in the HIP rat model of T2DM.
The HIP rat provides additional evidence in support of the potential role of IAPP oligomer formation toward the increased frequency of apoptosis in type 2 diabetes, a process that appears to be compounded by glucose toxicity when hyperglycemia supervenes.