In my research, I think to use Psammomys obesus as diabetic model. It will be my first time it but I don't know if it is better than animal induced by streptozotocin.
Streptozotocin induce B cell apoptosis and lead to an experimental diabetes, but not type 1 or 2 diabetes. However the induced diabetes in Psammomys obesus mimics strongly the human diabetes (type 2) especialy if you induce it with a high fat diet. So i think Psammomys obesus is much more interesting than other animal.
Psammomys obesus is an animal model of type 2 diabetes, which develops diabetic retinopathy as a result of chronic hyperglycemia after a high caloric diet.Distinctive features of induced diabetes in P. obesus are vascular structural abnormalities, elevated ratios of pro- to anti-angiogenic growth factors in the vitreous, blood-retinal barrier breakdown, neural and glial changes.