Establishment of duodenojejunal bypass surgery in mice: a model designed for diabetic research.

We have developed a mouse duodenojejunal bypass (DJB) surgical model that is for studying the effects of bariatric surgery on glucose homeostasis and has potential to impact clinical therapy of diabetes. The operation consists of using the majority of the duodenum and proximal part of the jejunum for biliopancreatic diversion. The distal end of the jejunum is anastomosed in an end-to-end fashion to the remaining proximal end of the duodenum just distal to the pylorus. The biliopancreatic secretions are diverted into the distal jejunum through an end-to-side anastomosis. We performed 10 DJB operations in C57BL/6 mice, with a 100% survival rate. The surgery had no effect on the growth or feeding patterns of the animals. The intestinal mucosa showed normal histology and function. This study confirms that it is technically possible to perform DJB surgery in mice. This mouse model can be used in the study of surgical treatment for type II diabetes. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.