Establishing an Insulin-Resistance C2C12 Cell Model: A Systematic Review

Insulin resistance is one of the main risk factors for the development of diabetes mellitus. The search for natural ingredient-based drugs for antidiabetic treatment is widely carried out through experimental evidence in the laboratory. An in vitro model has advantages in easily maintaining and replicating. It is an appropriate choice for studying insulin resistance. The critical point in conducting insulin experiments in the early stages is to make the skeletal muscle C2C12 myotube form into insulin-resistant cells. For this reason, suitable types of insulin resistance inducers, effective concentrations, and administered inducer methods need to be discussed. This systematic review provides an overview of types of insulin resistance inducers in the C2C12 in vitro method, the effective concentrations in the molecular study of insulin resistance, and the technique administered by the inducer. Methods: The PubMed and Scopus databases were searched from 2012–2022. Results: Palmitic acid is one of the popular insulin resistance inducers. Concentrations of 0.20-0.75 mM palmitic acid are sufficient to cause insulin resistance. Inducing methods were administered simultaneously or in phases, together with the compound. The difference in the addition of inducers in forming the C2C12 cell model of insulin resistance is related to the research objectives for preventive/protective or curative purposes. The methods were successfully reported in establishing an insulin-resistant C2C12 cell model.