Objective Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder that shares pathophysiologic features with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the polymorphisms fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) rs1421085, leptin receptor (LEPR) rs1137100, rs1137101, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) rs1801282, and transcription ...

The leptin-leptin receptor system might be up-regulated in the airways of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In bronchial biopsies obtained from normal subjects and smokers, with and without COPD, the present study examined leptin and leptin-receptor expression and their co-localisation in airway and inflammatory cells. Combining immunohistochemistry with terminal deoxynucleotidyl tr...

Leptin resistance and obesity have been related to mutations of the leptin receptor gene in rodents and, recently, in a consanguineous family. The latter mutation results in a receptor lacking transmembrane and intracellular domains. Homozygous and heterozygous individuals with this mutation had serum leptin levels higher than expected, given their BMIs: 600, 670, and 526 ng/ml and 145, 362, 29...

Liver-specific insulin receptor knockout (LIRKO) mice display hyperinsulinemia, abnormal glucose metabolism and progressive liver dysfunction. In addition, circulation leptin levels appear to be increased more than 50-fold. However, food intake, body weight and adipose mass are not significantly altered in LIRKO mice compared to wild-type littermates. Using a ligand immunofunctional assay, we f...

Objective Increased leptin hormone and leptin receptor may enhance the generation of proinflammatory cytokines by endothelial cells and lead to endothelial dysfunction. This study assessed the umbilical cord endothelial leptin receptor levels in preeclampsia and investigated the effect of leptin on endothelial interleukin-8 (IL-8) production. Materials and Methods The association between IL-8...

Obesity originates from a failure of the body-weight control systems, which may be affected by changing environmental influences. Basically, the obesity risk depends on two important mutually-interacting factors: (1) genetic variants (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, haplotypes); (2) exposure to environmental risks (diet, physical activity etc.). Common single-nucleotide polymorphisms at candid...

leptin affects paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus and reduces appetite while activation of α2-adrenoceptors at this site has opposite action. the reducing effect of α2-adrenoceptors inhibition on body weight and appetite and also enhancing effects on lipolysis, sympathetic activation and plasma insulin levels in animals have been reported. we studied the effect of yohimbine treatment (2 mg...

Leptin has been proposed to modulate cardiac electrical properties via β-adrenergic receptor activation. The presence of leptin receptors and adipocytes in myocardium raised a question as to whether leptin can directly modulate cardiac electrical properties such as heart rate and QT interval via its receptor. In this work, the role of local direct actions of leptin on heart rate and ventricular...

Obesity is a major public health concern; despite evidence of high heritability, the genetic causes of obesity remain unclear. In this study, we assessed the presence of mutations in three genes involved in the hypothalamic leptin-melanocortin regulation pathway (leptin, LEP; leptin receptor, LEPR; and melanocortin-4 receptor, MC4R), which is important for energy homeostasis in the body, in a g...

Insulin and leptin have overlapping effects in the control of energy homeostasis, but the molecular basis of this synergism is unknown. Insulin signals through a receptor tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates and activates the docking proteins IRSs (insulin receptor substrates), whereas the leptin receptor and its associated protein tyrosine kinase JAK2 (Janus kinase 2) mediate phosphorylation an...