A Pre-Clinical Study For Diet-Induced Obesity

Obesity is a chronic lifestyle-related disease that causes metabolic disturbances such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, leading to comorbidities like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Animal models, such as the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced mice model, closely replicate human obesity and its associated effects, supporting obesity research.

At Aragen, we specialize in developing diet-induced obesity models and offer customized drug efficacy analyses tailored to our clients' needs.

This case study compares the effects of rimonabant and liraglutide in male C57BL/6 mice with HFD-induced obesity. Rimonabant, a cannabinoid receptor antagonist once considered for obesity treatment, and liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist used for type 2 diabetes, were tested for their anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. Liraglutide, known for its weight reduction and glycemic control, offers a more comprehensive approach compared to rimonabant.

In this study, mice were fed a normal or high-fat diet for 14 weeks. The HFD group was further subdivided into disease control, rimonabant (10 mg/kg), and liraglutide (0.05 mg/kg) treatment groups, with treatments lasting five weeks. Downstream analyses included body weight changes, blood glucose and insulin levels, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin tolerance test (ITT), serum chemistry, and histopathology (Oil-Red-O staining), providing a comprehensive comparison of the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects of rimonabant and liraglutide.