title: Insulin resistance contributes to aberrant stress responses in the Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: We previously reported aberrant stress responses and impaired glucose tolerance in transgenic Tg2576 mice, a model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we report that by 8 months of age, Tg2576 mice had lower basal serum insulin concentrations and exhibited a delayed insulin-induced reduction in blood glucose levels relative to wild-type mice. However, the basal levels of blood glucose and percent glycosylated hemoglobin (%HbA1c) were similar between the two groups of mice. While the basal levels of serum corticosterone were similar between Tg2576 and wild-type mice, an overnight fasting caused a greater rise in serum corticosterone levels and an excessive reduction in serum insulin concentrations in the transgenics. At 9 months of age, we began administering Tg2576 mice rosiglitazone, an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma that increases peripheral insulin sensitivity, and after 6 weeks of administration the Tg2576 mice had the same response to insulin and increase in serum corticosterone levels after an overnight fast as did wild-type mice. By 13 months of age, untreated Tg2576 mice had become hyperinsulinemic, in contrast to Tg2576 mice administered rosiglitazone for 4 months where the serum insulin concentrations were maintained at levels observed in wild-type mice. These results provide evidence for a relationship between insulin resistance, impaired regulation of insulin and glucose levels, and aberrant stress responses in Tg2576 mice.
authors.affiliation: Center for Aging, Alzheimer's Disease and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Department of Neurology, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68131, USA. wpedersen@creighton.edu
authors.forename: Ward A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Emily R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Flynn
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012016:Reference Values; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D045162:Thiazolidinediones