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OJVRTM
Online Journal of Veterinary Research©
Volume 8:7-15, 2004.
1 Department of Laboratory Animal
Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge
Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814-4799, 2 Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Branch USAMRICD, 3100 Ricketts Point Rd, APG, MD 21005 3Veterinary
Medicine Division USAMRIID, 1425 Porter Street, Ft. Detrick,
Md 21702, and 4 U.S. Food and Drug
Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health Office of Science and
Technology, 9200 Corporate Blvd. (HFZ-100), Rockville MD 20850 * Corresponding
Author: Veterinary Medical Division USAMRIID, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702
SUMMARY
Murray
LE, Dalal SJ, Rico PJ, Chenault .M, Evaluation of The Estrous Cycle in the Sand
Rat, (Psammomys obesus), an
Animal Model of Nutritionally Induced Diabetes Mellitus, Online J Vet Res 8:106-111, 2004. Psammomys obesus or the fat sand rat is a wild
desert rodent in the gerbil family. This animal is unique in that it
develops mild to moderate obesity, hyperglycemia and the complications of
diabetes such as cataracts, pancreatic atrophy, impaired renal function and ketoacidosis by dietary induction. The sand rat is a
nutritionally induced animal model for Non-Insulin- Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
(NIDDM). Complications from diabetic mellitus in people such as blindness
due to cataracts, kidney disease, delayed wound healing and cardiovascular
disease can be studied using the sand rat as a model. Information
regarding the estrous cycle in the sand rat is limited. In this
experiment, a comparison between low calorie sand rat chow verses high calorie
rodent chow diets were compared with respect to dietary effects on estrous
cycle length. Information leading to a better understanding of the
reproductive cycle and whether low calorie or high calorie diets will influence
the cycle are important to researchers who must maintain breeding
colonies. We found the average length of the estrous cycle to be 4.0±0.9
days for normal and 4.8±0.7 days for diabetogenic
sand rats.
KEY WORDS: Sand Rat, Diabetes,
Estrous Cycle