Features of the metabolic syndrome in the spontaneously hypertriglyceridemic Wistar Ottawa Karlsburg W (RT1u haplotype) rat

The aim of this study was to characterize the Wistar Ottawa Karlsburg W ([WOKW] RT1(u) haplotype) rat in a cross-sectional study (up to 14 weeks of age) for traits with pathophysiological relevance to the metabolic syndrome in comparison to the Dark Agouti (DA) rat, to determine the age at which the WOKW rat begins to manifest the characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. The findings indicate that the WOKW rat is dyslipidemic (high serum triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol), hyperinsulinemic. and obese. The interval between 8 and 10 weeks appears to be the crucial age after which the most dramatic changes were observed in the measured phenotypic traits in the WOKW rat, as well as the most expressive differences between the WOKW and DA strains. Considering the phenotypic differences between WOKW and DA rats, the DA rat provides an appropriate control strain for crossing studies with the WOKW rat, which might contribute to the explanation of the genetic basis for traits of the metabolic syndrome in this model. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.