Leptin is an adipose-derived hormone that primarily regulates energy balance in response to nutrition. Human placental cells produce leptin, whereas murine placental cells produce soluble leptin receptors (Ob-R). However, the roles of these proteins during pregnancy have not been elucidated completely. As an essential metal, zinc (Zn) is central to insulin biosynthesis and energy metabolism. In...

BACKGROUND The delivery of excess maternal nutrients to the fetus is known to increase the risk of macrosomia, even among infants of women without gestational diabetes mellitus. With the current obesity epidemic, maternal adiposity and its associated effects on circulating adipokines and inflammatory proteins may now have a greater impact on fetal growth. We sought to evaluate the independent e...

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT Mexican-American children are at particularly high risk of obesity. Features of the perinatal environment, including maternal nutrition, anthropometry, glucose tolerance and growth rate during infancy are implicated in programming of obesity in the offspring. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS Greater rate of weight or length gain in the first 6 months of life is as...

Leptin has been measured in the fetal circulation and plasma leptin may also originate from a range of other fetal and placental tissues. The present study was designed to analyze leptin levels in women with preeclampsia and to assess its relationship with renal functions, gestational age and outcome of pregnancy. Twenty five normotensive pregnant women and 25 age and gestation matched preeclam...

Background: Leptin is a new adipose-derived hormone discovered in 1994. It is vital in energy balance and weight regulation in humans. During pregnancy the placenta is an extra source of leptin. The role of leptin in pregnancy is not established. This has generated a lot of interest in leptin research in pregnancy. Leptin is being examined in pathological states that may have origin in adipose ...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Plasma leptin level during pregnancy has been reported as a biochemical predictor of postpartum weight retention. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between pregnancy-related factors including plasma leptin and postpartum weight retention in Korean women. METHODS A convenience sampling method was used among women attending a high-risk pregnanc...

In the fetus, leptin in the circulation increases at late gestation and likely influences fetal organ development. Increased surfactant by leptin was previously demonstrated in vitro using fetal lung explant. We hypothesized that leptin treatment given to fetal sheep and pregnant mice might increase surfactant synthesis in the fetal lung in vivo. At 122-124 days gestational age (term: 150 days)...

The risk of hypertension is increased by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm birth. In the search for modifiable etiologies for this life-threatening cardiovascular morbidity, a number of pathways have been investigated, including excessive glucocorticoid exposure, nutritional deficiency and aberration in sex hormone levels. As a neurotrophic hormone that is intimately involved i...

OBJECTIVES Evidence that fetal development has long-term impacts on health has increased interest in maternal-fetal nutrient exchange. Although maternal metabolism is known to change during gestation to accommodate fetal nutrient demands, little is known about these modifications outside of a Western, clinical context. This study characterizes maternal metabolic adaptations to pregnancy, and th...