Initial information on the newly discovered hormone leptin suggests a primary role in energy balance and body weight maintenance. Recent published information suggests that leptin has an impact on several physiological systems, including neuroendocrine and immune function, as well as being involved in growth and development. Although the role of leptin in these areas is only partially understoo...

A specific leptin RIA was developed to assess concentrations of leptin in ovine plasma, and was shown to be efficient with bovine and caprine plasma. A specific, high-affinity antibody was generated against recombinant ovine leptin which, when used in a competitive leptin RIA, provided valid estimates of linearity (r=+0.989-0.998), recovery (102%), repeatability (13%) and limit of sensitivity (...

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...

Following the initial confirmation of the existence of leptin in humans by Friedman and his colleagues (Zhang et al. I994), many publications rapidly appeared concerning all aspects of its regulation and action. However, only a small proportion of these have addressed the in vivo physiology of leptin in man. It is apparent that the main determinant of leptin concentrations in both animals and h...

Initial information on the newly discovered hormone leptin suggests a primary role in energy balance and body weight maintenance. Recent published information suggests that leptin has an impact on several physiological systems, including neuroendocrine and immune function, as well as being involved in growth and development. Although the role of leptin in these areas is only partially understoo...

BACKGROUND Leptin is a hormone that regulates fat metabolism and appetite. The secretion of leptin is regulated by adiposity and, in the rodent, by factors such as insulin, beta-adrenergic agonists, and glucocorticoids (GCs). Increased secretion of the endogenous human GC, cortisol, occurs during stress and in disorders such as major depression. Pharmacological GCs can robustly increase plasma ...

Leptin, secreted from fat cells, functions as a lipostat mechanism through modulation of satiety signals. The role of leptin in humans has been only partly revealed. However, obese patients have markedly elevated levels of this hormone, and in both normal-weight and obese subjects there is a direct correlation between serum leptin levels and the percentage of body fat. The aim of the present st...

OBJECTIVE Leptin is known to play an important role in pubertal development in humans, probably acting as one permissive factor for the onset of puberty. Leptin serum concentrations change during pubertal development and an initial increase before the onset of puberty has been reported. The underlying mechanism for this increase in leptin levels is unknown. We hypothesized that the pulsatile re...

BACKGROUND The mechanisms by which obesity increases the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) are poorly understood. In experimental models, leptin, a hormone produced by adipose tissue, has been shown adversely to affect vascular health. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that high leptin concentrations are associated with lower arterial distensibility, an index of circulatory...

Obesity currently is qualified as a worldwide health epidemic and its consequences include diabetes mellitus as far as cardiac disease. Genetic and environmental factors contribute to obesity, although the genetic component is still poorly understood in humans. With the cloning of mouse ob gene and its receptor, leptin was discovered, the “satiety hormone”. Leptin is expressed and secreted prim...