The influence of supplemental protein during gestation on maternal hormones and fetal growth was determined in composite beef heifers. At AI, 118 heifers were stratified by BW within each composite genotype (BeefX = 1/2 Senepol, 1/4 Brahman, 1/8 Charolais, 1/8 Red Angus and CBX = 1/2 Senepol, 1/4 Brahman, 1/4 Charolais) into 4 treatment groups: high high (HH = 1.4 kg CP/d for first and second t...

Adiponectin and leptin, two adipose-tissue-derived proteins, have been reported to be elevated in women with established PE (pre-eclampsia). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether alterations in adiponectin and leptin levels predate the development of PE and FGR (fetal growth restriction) in women at increased risk of these complications, as assessed by Doppler examination of t...

Maternal obesity increases the risk of obesity in offspring, and obesity is accompanied by an increase in blood leptin levels. The "yellow" mutation at the mouse agouti locus (A(y)) increases blood leptin levels in C57BL preobese pregnant mice without affecting other metabolic characteristics. We investigated the influence of the A(y) mutation or leptin injection at the end of pregnancy in C57B...

The aim of the present study was to test whether serum concentrations of leptin in ewes vary with a daily rhythm. For this purpose, we examined 24 h serum leptin profiles of ewes exposed to natural photoperiodic conditions and subjected to two different feeding schedules (regular feeding and fasting). The results show for the first time the existence of daily rhythm of plasma leptin in regularl...

Maternal overnutrition or associated complications putatively mediate the obesogenic effects of perinatal high-fat diet on developing offspring. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a Western diet developmental environment increases adiposity not only in male offspring from obesity-prone (DIO) mothers, but also in those from obesity-resistant (DR) dams, implicating a deleterious role for the Wes...

Maternal high-fat (HF) diet throughout gestation and suckling has long-term consequences on the offspring's metabolic phenotype. Here we determine the relative contribution of pre- or postnatal maternal HF diet on offspring's metabolic phenotype. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained on normal chow or HF diet throughout gestation and suckling. All litters were cross-fostered to chow or H...

To the Editor; In the December 2016 issue of your journal, Fakor et al. (1) presented an original article entitled “The association between levels of maternal serum leptin in the third trimester and the occurrence of moderate preterm labor” in which the authors elucidated the possible role of leptin in the development of preterm labor in 30 moderate preterm delivering women. The authors demonst...

Leptin is a 167-amino acid protein that is secreted from adipose cells and expressed in placental tissues. It is important nutritionally in the regulation of energy balance, but also has other functions such as a role in reproduction. To investigate the function of the leptin system in fetal development we examined, primarily by in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, the expression (bo...

Adipose tissue secretes a variety of adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin, which are involved in endocrine processes regulating glucose and fatty metabolism, energy expenditure, inflammatory response, immunity, cardiovascular function, and reproduction. The present article describes the fluctuations in circulating leptin and adiponectin as well as their patterns of secretion in women fr...

Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, plays an important role in reproduction and angiogenesis. Studies examining leptin in preeclampsia are inconsistent, possibly because of small sample sizes and variability in sampling and outcome. We conducted a nested case-control study to examine associations between serum leptin (measured: 9-26 weeks gestation) and preeclampsia among 430 primiparous pree...