Overview of Rodent Models for Obesity Research

AbstractAnimal obesity models differ widely in type and extent of obesity. They are either based on environmental factors (e.g., high‐fat diet‐induced obesity), spontaneous mutants (i.e., ob/ob mice), genetically engineered animals (e.g., mice with melanocortin receptor subtype‐4 gene disruption (knock‐out), or mechanical intervention (e.g., chemical lesion of the ventromedial hypothalamus). This unit reviews available rodent models to study obesity and attempts to highlight the greatest utility for each model.