Animal models of insulin resistance: A review

•Insulin resistance is implicated in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.•Inflammation and obesity are commonly involved in pathogenesis of Insulin resistance.•Various genetic and non-genetic animal models are described with pathological and metabolic characteristics of each.

Insulin resistance can be seen as a molecular and genetic mystery, with a role in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is a basis for a number of chronic diseases like hypertension, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, coronary heart disease, cerebral vascular disease along with T2DM, thus the key is to cure and prevent insulin resistance. Critical perspicacity into the etiology of insulin resistance have been gained by the use of animal models where insulin action has been modulated by various transgenic and non-transgenic models which is not possible in human studies. The following review comprises the pathophysiology involved in insulin resistance, various factors causing insulin resistance, their screening and various genetic and non-genetic animal models highlighting the pathological and metabolic characteristics of each.