Effects of medium-chain triglyceride ketogenic diets on glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic mice

Abstract The study aimed to determine the impact of four different medium-chain triglyceride ketogenic diets (MCT-KD) on glucose metabolism in mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The mice were treated with a high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin to establish a T2DM model, followed by eight weeks of treatment with different MCT-KD comprising caprylic triglyceride (CYT), capric triglyceride, lauric triglyceride (LT), and Cinnamomum camphora kernel seed oil. The results showed that the four types of MCT-KD intervention significantly reduced body weight and improved hyperglycemia and insulin sensitivity in T2DM mice. The four MCT-KD interventions upregulated glucose uptake-related proteins (AMPK-Rab5-GLUT4) in the skeletal muscles of T2DM mice. However, except for CYT, the other three MCT-KD were associated with impaired glucose metabolism in the liver of T2DM mice, characterized by abnormal expression levels of gluconeogenesis and glycogen synthesis-related proteins. In addition, long-term consumption (eight weeks) of MCT-KD comprising LT may be related to decreases in body weight and blood glucose levels. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the effects of different types of MCT-KD on glucose metabolism in T2DM mice.