Surgical correction of metabolic syndromes in rats: Methodological aspects

Abstract

Aim. The study was aimed at detailed description of the technique of bariatric surgical interventions with varying metabolic effects in the rat. We also provided comparison between different surgical operations and considered rationale for making several types of surgery simultaneously. Materials and Methods. The study was performed on 120 male Wistar rats (380-510 g) housed in the SPF rodent facility. The animals were anesthetized using isoflurane anesthesia. The following types of surgery were performed and described: sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, gastrojejunal bypass, ileal transposition, and combination of sleeve gastrectomy and ileal transposition. The technical complexity of surgery was scored according to 10-point scale. Results. The methodological aspects of sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, gastrojejunal bypass, and ileal transposition in rats are considered in detail. Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass are the most commonly used types of bariatric surgery, while gastrojejunal bypass and ileal transposition are specifically aimed at modeling of metabolic effects. The article considered preoperative planning as well as major stages of surgery. We focused attention on perioperative complications and technical nuances. Conclusion. Modeling of bariatric surgical interventions on the small laboratory rodents is challenging, requires sophisticated manual skills and microsurgical equipment. The illustrated description of these surgical interventions will provide a useful reference for beginners in this laborious part of experimental surgery.