Effects of metformin on chemerin expression in visceral adipose tissue of insulin-resistant rats

After 4 weeks old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with normal diet and high-fat diet for 10 weeks,the rats were treated with metformin (200 mg/kg) for 6 weeks. Insulin sensitivity was determined by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp technique.Realtime PCR and western blot were used to measure mRNA and protein levels of chemerin in perirenal adipose tissue of rats.The results showed that the expressions of chemerin mRNA and protein were higher in high-fat diet-induced insulin resistant rats compared with rats fed with normal diet ( both P＜0.05 ),and these incremental findings were diminished by metformin treatment ( both P＜0.01 ).The levels of chemerin mRNA and protein were correlated well with the epididymis fat mass index. Key words: Chemerin; Metformin; Insulin resistance; Rats; Visceral adipose tissue