Abstract
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery has been found to resolve diabetes. However, the mechanism for this resolution is unknown. To understand the effects of RYGB on intestinal morphology, Sprague Dawley (SD) and Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat models with control transection and RYGB surgery were used. Mucosal and muscular thickness were measured from 4 segments of the intestine 2- and 4-weeks post-op. Acute changes in glucose transporter expression in the mucosa and muscle were measured from control and GLP2 infused rats. Increases in mucosal and muscular thickness were observed in the 2- and 4-week post-op groups after RYGB. In ZDF rats, intestinal hypertrophy of the muscle was more pronounced than that of the mucosa, with a greater than two-fold increase in the Roux limb in RYGB rats compared to the control group. GLUT1 mRNA expression was found to be significantly greater in the mucosa of GLP2 infused rats compared to control rats. Improvements in blood glucose observed after RYGB may be due in part to both the greater energy demands of increasing intestinal hypertrophy, particularly of the muscle, and greater numbers of glucose transporters in the intestine.