Long‐term case study of a Wuzhishan miniature pig with diabetes

Abstract

Background: Miniature pigs are attractive animal models for exploring diabetes because they are similar to humans in terms of physiological structure and metabolism.However, little is known about the complications of diabetes in pigs. Methods:In this study, a 28-month observation of a Wuzhishan miniature pig with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced (120 mg/kg) diabetes was conducted, to investigate diabetes-related complications and the possibility of self-recovery in miniature pigs.Blood glucose, serum and urinary biochemistry was measured, and histopathologic examinations of eyes, kidney and pancreas were made.Results: During the observation, diabetic complications of eyes and kidney were observed. The eye complications included bilateral cataracts in the 15th month and degeneration of inner retina and microaneurysm in the 28th month. Kidney complications included glomerular mesangial expansion, focal segmental glomerular sclerosis, and renal tubular epithelial degeneration, but no proteinuria was observed. By 28 months after the application of STZ, with no treatment given, blood glucose had recovered and the number of pancreatic islet beta-cells had increased significantly. Conclusions:We showed that the STZ-induced diabetes model in miniature pigs could accurately mimic the pathological changes of human diabetes, and that pancreatic islet beta-cell regeneration did occur in an adult miniature pig, providing a new means for exploring diabetic complications and pancreatic islet beta-cell regeneration. K E Y W O R D Sbeta-cell regeneration, diabetes-related complications, pig | 23 NIU et al.

A human antibody against pathologic IAPP aggregates protects beta cells in type 2 diabetes models

“…Finally, the magnitude of the therapeutic effects of our approach might be underestimated due to the rapid disease progression and high overexpression of IAPP. Future studies in more physiological models such as miniature pigs 18 , 64 or non-human primates 65 , 66 could therefore be of additional translational value.…”

Identification of Body Size Determination Related Candidate Genes in Domestic Pig Using Genome-Wide Selection Signal Analysis

“…Research on miniature pig breeds has become increasingly comprehensive, and the use of these pigs has become more common. For example, miniature pigs are selected as medical models for respiratory toxicology [ 11 , 12 ], reproductive toxicity [ 13 ], atherosclerosis [ 14 , 15 ], diabetes [ 16 , 17 ], and neurodegenerative diseases [ 18 , 19 ]. At present, a large number of genes related to body size development have been verified; they include HMGA2 , BMP2 , FGFR3 , and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1R.…”