Aims/hypothesis  

Although it is known that lipid metabolism plays a role in insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and in obesity, the mechanism is still largely unknown. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) regulates plasma lipid levels and also plays a role in the uptake of lipids into various tissues. To investigate whether the suppression of whole-particle lipoprotein uptake into tissues affects insulin responsiveness and the diabetic condition, we examined the effect of an ApoE (also known as Apoe) gene deletion in MKR mice, a mouse model of type 2 diabetes.

Methods  

ApoE ^−/− , MKR, ApoE ^−/− /MKR and control mice were placed on a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet for 16 weeks. Glucose tolerance, serum insulin, blood glucose, insulin tolerance, tissue triacylglycerol content and atherosclerotic lesions were assessed.

Results  

ApoE ^−/− /MKR and ApoE ^−/− mice showed significantly improved blood glucose, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Reduced triacylglycerol content in liver and reduced fat accumulation in liver and adipose tissue were found in ApoE ^−/− /MKR and ApoE ^−/− mice compared with control and MKR mice. ApoE ^−/− and ApoE ^−/− /MKR mice demonstrated similarly large atherosclerotic lesions, whereas MKR and control mice had small atherosclerotic lesions.

Conclusions/interpretation  

We demonstrated that ApoE deficiency abrogates insulin resistance in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes, suggesting that lipid accumulation in tissue is a major cause of insulin resistance in this mouse model.