Adrenal cortex disorders in a new model of obesity, Gerbillus gerbillus, exposed to a high carbohydrate diet.

Obesity is associated with several endocrine disorders, including hypersensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a high carbohydrate diet on structural and ultrastructural features of steroidogenic tissue, as well to evaluate adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, and insulin levels in the blood and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression in the adrenals of gerbils. In electron microscopy, the most pronounced effect of the hypercaloric diet was observed in the zona fasciculata.

Hyperactivation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in streptozotocin-diabetic gerbils (Gerbillus gerbillus).

This study was designed to investigate the HPA-axis impairment in the streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic gerbils (Gerbillus gerbillus). Twenty-six male gerbils (body weight ~27 g) were divided into 3 groups: vehicle control (n = 10), 2 days of diabetes (n = 09) and 30 days of diabetes (n = 07). The latter 2 groups received an intraperitoneal injection of STZ (150 mg/kg of body weight).