Abstract: Objective To explore a method of establishing a rat model for diabetic gastroparesis (DGP). Methods Sixty rats were randomly chosen from seventy healthy SD male rats as a model group that was fed with a high-fat and high-sugar diet for two weeks. After being fasted and freely drinking water for 12h, these rats were injected intraperitoneally with streptozotocin (STZ soluble in 0.1mol/L citric acid buffered salt solution) 50mg/kg to establish a diabetic rat model. Fasting blood glucose≥13.9mmol/L after 72h indicated that a proper diabetic animal model was induced. From the fifty SD rats in the diabetic model, ten were randomly chosen to feed on a high-fat and high-sugar diet for eight weeks to establish a DGP animal model. Ten healthy SD male rats in the control group were fed for two weeks. After being fasted and freely drinking water for 12 h, they were injected intraperitoneally with an equivalent dosage of sodium citrate buffer and then fed with an ordinary diet for eight weeks as the normal control group. During the experiment, the general condition, body weight and blood glucose of rats in both groups were observed, while the gastric residual rate and small intestine advancing rate were measured after the rats were sacrificed. Results Compared with the normal group, the fasting blood glucose of the model group was significantly increased after modeling (P<0.01), and the rats became thinner, whose body weight and small bowel propulsion rate (P<0.01)were significantly reduced, while the gastric residue rate was significantly increased (P<0.01, P<0.05)after eight weeks. Conclusion Eight weeks of intraperitoneal injection of STZ 50mg/kg combined with a high-fat and high-sugar diet can induce a DGP rat model.

Key words: diabetic gastroparesis, animal model, Streptozotocin, high-fat and high-sugar diet