Animal Model for Obesity-An Overview

Abstract

Subramani Parasuraman and Lim Ee Wen

Obesity is a major health problem and one of the leading causes of death globally. The needs of obesity care increased in last two decades. Obesity also increases the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disorder, stroke and colon cancer. Obesity can be managed by physiological and pharmacological approach, but physiological approach getting failed by patient noncompliance. Pharmacological approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, moreover the needs of drug targets increasing to discover novel antiobesity agents. The developed a new target must be evaluated preclinically and clinically to determine its therapeutic efficacy. Objective of this review is to summarize the most commonly used animal models of obesity research. The model includes ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) lesion, diet-induced (hypercaloric diets) obesity, chemical agent induced obesity, drug induced obesity, genetic models and surgical models.