Various Blood Glucose Values in the Rat

Abstract

It has been found in a group of 1,135 male and 1,145 female Sprague-Dawley rats that there are different normal values for blood glucose in male and female animals which are dependent on age to a certain extent. At the age of 6 weeks the blood glucose level for female animals is 68 mg% and for male animals 66 mg%. From 9 weeks old, the mean values for the various age groups are on average 75.3 mg% in the female animals and 74.2 mg% in the male animals.

The investigation of the effect of stressing the carbohydrate metabolism by the administration of a hypoglycemic sulphonylurea (HB 419) showed that there was a different reaction of the glucose behavior between the male and female animals. The time of onset, degree and duration of the fall in blood glucose in the rat show clear, sex-specific characteristics which were confirmed statistically. A difference in metabolic activity between the sexes was regarded as the cause of the sexual difference in the behavior of the blood glucose.

Key words

Blood Glucose - Rat - Glibenclamide - Sex Differences