BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to study the FABP4 and PTEN gene expression and correlation in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissues of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. 

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=12/group): a control group fed a normal diet for 8 weeks and an experimental group fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet for 8 weeks and that received 25 mg/kg streptozotocin by intraperitoneal injection to induce T2DM. The random blood glucose, fasting blood glucose, and fasting insulin levels were measured. The expression of Pten and Fabp4 in the liver, muscle, and epididymal adipose tissues was estimated by real-time quantitative PCR. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was used to investigate the expression correlation between Pten and Fabp4 in T2DM rats. 

RESULTS: The gene expressions of Pten and Fabp4 in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissues of T2DM rats were all significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Pten was highly expressed in the muscles and Fabp4 was highly expressed in muscle and adipose tissues. Furthermore, expressions of Fabp4 and Pten in the muscle and adipose tissues of T2DM rats were positively correlated (P<0.05), but not in the liver. 

CONCLUSIONS: The increased expression of PTEN and FABP4 in the adipose and muscles of T2DM rats may play an important role in the insulin resistance of T2DM. However, the mechanism by which these 2 genes function in T2DM needs further study. 

Keywords: Adiposity, Adipose Tissue - metabolism, Blood Glucose - metabolism, Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - metabolism, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - metabolism, Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins - metabolism, Gene Expression Profiling, Insulin - metabolism, Insulin Resistance, Liver - metabolism, Muscles - metabolism, Obesity - metabolism, PTEN Phosphohydrolase - metabolism, Rats, Wistar