2016 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

The reduction of adipocyte size in response to THBA treatment is in accordance with data from mice and underscores the possible role of RORc signaling in the control of adipose tissue metabolism. While we observed a significant reduction in fasting glucose, overall insulin sensitivity did not improve. These findings might be explained by the fact that insulin sensitivity in normal weight subjects is mainly determined by liver and muscle cell function, while altered adipocyte size would not contribute significantly to the ITT. Future studies in obese cats and altered dosing regimes are required to assess whether THBA improves insulin resistance in cats, in addition to direct effects on adipocyte size. In this study, 8 overweight cats were fed a maintenance diet (MD) for 3 weeks followed by a weight control diet (WCD, lower fat, higher in carbohydrates and fiber). Cats were fed ad libitum initially and then food was restricted to achieve 1-2% loss of body weight weekly (11 weeks). When lean, cats were fed MD for 2 additional weeks. A standardized meal test (SMT) using a third diet was performed after at least 7 days on each diet, before and after weight loss (4 SMT's total). Glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) concentrations were measured immediately before and over 6 hours after feeding the SMT. Area under the concentrations curve (AUC) was compared using non-parametric tests.