Leptin in pregnancy and development : a contributor to adulthood disease ? 1 2 Jessica

16 Emerging research has highlighted the importance of leptin in fetal growth and development, 17 independent of its essential role in the maintenance of hunger and satiety through the modulat 18 ion of neuropeptide Y and proopiomelanocortin neurons. Alterations in maternal-placental-fet 19 al leptin exchange may modify the development of the fetus and contribute to the increased ri 20 sk of developing disease in adulthood. In addition, leptin also plays an important role in repro 21 ductive functions, with plasma leptin concentrations rising in pregnant women, peaking durin 22 g the third trimester. Elevated plasma leptin concentrations occur at the completion of organo 23 genesis, and research in animal models have demonstrated that leptin is involved in the devel 24 opment and maturation of a number of organs including the heart, brain, kidneys and pancrea 25 s. Elevated maternal plasma leptin is associated with maternal obesity, and reduced fetal plas 26 ma leptin is correlated with intrauterine growth restriction. Alterations in plasma leptin durin 27 g development may be associated with an increased risk of developing a number of adulthood 28 diseases including cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal diseases via altered fetal development 29 and organogenesis. Importantly, research has shown that leptin antagonism after birth signific 30 antly reduces maturation of numerous organs. Conversely, restoration of the leptin deficiency 31 after birth in growth restricted animals restores the offspring’s body weight and improves org 32 anogenesis. Therefore, leptin appears to play a major role in organogenesis which may advers 33 ely affect the risk of developing a number of diseases in adulthood. Greater understanding of 34 the role of leptin during development may therefore assist in the prevention and treatment of 35 a number of disease states that occur in adulthood. 36 37 Additional Keywords; leptin, maternal obesity, intrauterine growth restriction, organogenesis, 38 adulthood diseases 39