Metabolic Services
The UMass Metabolic Disease Research Center (MDRC) conducts specialized and standardized metabolic experiments to measure insulin sensitivity, glucose/lipid metabolism, pancreatic β-cell function, glucagon action, body composition, energy balance, and exercise capacity. Most experiments are performed in physiological states and in awake mice. The metabolic services include:
- Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp to assess organ-specific insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in awake mice
- Hyperglycemic clamp to assess pancreatic b-cell function and insulin secretion in awake mice
- Glucose tolerance test (GTT), GTT with insulin secretion, and insulin tolerance test (ITT)
- In vivo measurement of glucose and lipid metabolism in individual organs using labeled metabolites in awake mice
- Glucagon clamp to assess organ-specific glucagon action in awake mice
- Noninvasive measurement of whole body and tissue composition of fat/lean/water mass using 1H-MRS
- Noninvasive analysis of food/water intake, energy expenditure, respiratory exchange ratio, and physical activity at controlled temperature (cold acclimation, thermoneutrality) and light:dark cycle (circadian rhythm) using metabolic cages with an environmental chamber (TSE Systems)
- Survival surgery of jugular vein cannulation for in vivo experiments
· Chronic and acute induction of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 1 and type 2 diabetes using specialized diets (e.g., high-fat diet, high-fructose diet), lipid/fructose infusion, streptozotocin injection, and phloridzin treatment