ABSTRACT
KEY WORDS: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Inbreeding; Glucose intolerance; Pancreatic islet morphology; Insulin secretion; Insulin resistance; Diabetic complications
INTRODUCTION
The Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat is a nonobese substrain of Wistar rat origin, developing non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus early in life. Glucose intolerance is most likely primarily due to impaired B-cell function on the background of a polygenic inheritance. The GK rat may be regarded as one of the best available rodent strains for the study of inherited type 2 diabetes.
