Summary

This study was conducted to develop an experimental model for evaluation of glucose tolerance in rabbits based on the determination of glucose kinetic parameters. Six clinically healthy New Zealand White male rabbits, 3–3.5 months of age, weighing between 2.4 and 3 kg were used. The following kinetic parameters of glucose after intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) were calculated – half-life for blood glucose disappearance (tC', min), glucose elimination rate constant (Kel, min1), area under the blood glucose concentration versus time curve (AUC0150 min, mmol.min/L), mean resi-dence time for blood glucose (MRT, min), maximum blood glucose concentration (Cmax, mmol/L) and the time needed to reach Cmax (Tmax, min). Blood glucose concentrations markedly increased after the intraperitoneal injection of glucose at a dose of 2 g/kg, reaching peak values (Cmax = 17.1 ± 3.29 mmol/L) at 47.5 ± 14.75 min (Tmax), then gradually declined and returned to baseline levels at 150 min. The mean values of tC', Kel, AUC0150 min and MRT were 78.3 ± 10.5 min, 0.0090 ± 0.0012 min1, 1822.6 ± 297.4 mmol.min/L and 127.3 ± 18.4 min, respectively. The results of the present study indicate that the evaluation of kinetic parameters of glucose provides more detailed information on glucose tolerance status than the determination of blood glucose concentration alone and could be used as a basis for further elaboration of criteria to distinguish rabbits with normal and impaired glu