Decreased glucose tolerance and plasma adiponectin:resistin ratio in a mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are among the most serious health pathologies worldwide. Stress has been proposed as a factor contributing to the development of these health risk factors; however, the underlying mechanisms that link stress to obesity and diabetes need to be further clarified. Here, we study in mice how chronic stress affects dietary consumption and how that relationship contributes to obesity and diabetes. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to chronic variable stress (CVS) for 15 days and subsequently fed with a standard chow or high-fat diet. Food intake, body weight, respiratory quotient, energy expenditure and spontaneous physical activity were measured with a customised calorimetric system and body composition was measured with nuclear magnetic resonance. A glucose tolerance test was also applied and blood glucose levels were measured with a glucometer. Plasma levels of adiponectin and resistin were measured using Lincoplex kits. Mice under CVS and fed with a high-fat diet showed impaired glucose tolerance associated with low plasma adiponectin:resistin ratios. This study demonstrates, in a novel mouse model, how post-traumatic stress disorder enhances vulnerability for impaired glucose metabolism in an energy-rich environment and proposes a potential adipokine-based mechanism.