Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that is characterised by hyperglycaemia. The hyperglycaemia is caused by either the pancreas not secreting enough insulin or the body being insensitive to the insulin. Diabetes mellitus may lead to a serious damage to organs. The dominance of DM has risen significantly over the past few years, making it a health priority across the globe. High-fat diet is linked with obesity, which in turn causes insulin resistance and ultimately T2DM. It is evident that a high fat diet increases fat mass, body weight and low grade inflammatory state in the liver, adipose tissue and muscle through a LPS-dependent mechanism.
The aim of the study was to determine histopathological and morphometrical changes of the intestinal barrier in a Sprague Dawley rat model of T2DM. The study has successfully demonstrated the effect of T2DM on Sprague Dawley rats that were treated with STZ. Sprague Dawley rats that were treated with STZ and 12 weeks of fructose developed hyperglycaemia and impaired glucose tolerance. The diabetic animals were further characterized by increased final body masses, fasting triglycerides, cholesterol and high levels of oxidative stress. These changes were also accompanied by histopathological and morphometrical changes in the duodenal, jejunal and ileal regions of the small intestine.