BACKGROUND Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone critical for energy homeostasis and implicated in vascular disease processes. The relevant cellular leptin receptor pools and signaling pathways involved in leptin-related vascular phenotypes in vivo are unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Arterial injury was induced in wild-type (wt), leptin-deficient (lep(ob/ob)), and leptin receptor-deficient (lep...

OBJECTIVE To verify that adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α reciprocally regulate their expression, thereby synergistically affecting both coronary and aortic endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetic mice. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilation/vasorelaxation of coronary arterioles and aortas in control mice, diabetic mice (...

Resveratrol is a natural phytophenol that exhibits cardioprotective effects. This study was designed to elucidate the mechanisms by which resveratrol protects against diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction. Normal control (m-Lepr(db)) mice and type 2 diabetic (Lepr(db)) mice were treated with resveratrol orally for 4 wk. In vivo MRI showed that resveratrol improved cardiac function by increasing ...

T he Lepr/Lepr mouse is an autosomal recessive model of extreme obesity that phenotypically appears very similar to the Lepr/Lepr mouse, in which the leptin protein is absent (1). However, in the Lepr/Lepr mouse, the leptin protein is structurally normal (1). Leptin is ineffectual when injected into Lepr/Lepr mice, indicating that they are resistant to the action of this hormone (1). Recently, ...

Leptin signals energy sufficiency to the reproductive hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Studies using genetic models have demonstrated that hypothalamic neurons are major players mediating these effects. Leptin receptor (LepR) is also expressed in the pituitary gland and in the gonads, but the physiological effects of leptin in these sites are still unclear. Female mice with selective ...

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. A number of adipocytokines are increased in obesity causing low-level chronic inflammation associated with an increased risk of tumors. The adipocytokine leptin shows profound anti-obesity and pro-inflammatory activities. We have hypothesized that in common obesity, high circulating leptin levels might contribute to an increased ris...

Although the central nervous system melanocortin system is an important regulator of energy balance, the role of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in mediating the chronic effects of leptin on appetite, blood pressure, and glucose regulation is unknown. Using Cre/loxP technology we tested whether leptin receptor deletion in POMC neurons (LepR/POMC-Cre mice) attenuates the chronic effects of le...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate whether adiposity and metabolic markers, such as leptin, glucose, and lipids, are influenced by leptin (LEP) and leptin receptor (LEPR) gene polymorphisms in a sample of our population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A group of 326 individuals of Caucasian-European descent, aged 30 to 80 years, 87 men and 239 women, 148 obese and 178 non-obese, was rand...

BACKGROUND Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone with multiple functions that regulates energy homeostasis and reproductive functions. Increased knowledge of leptin receptor function will enhance our understanding of the physiological roles of leptin in animals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In the present study, a full-length leptin receptor (lepr) cDNA, consisting of 1,353 nucleotides, wa...

OBJECTIVE The adipose-derived hormone leptin plays an important role in regulating body weight and glucose homeostasis. Leptin receptors are expressed in the central nervous system as well as peripheral tissues involved in regulating glucose homeostasis, including insulin-producing β cells of the pancreas. Previous studies assessing the role of leptin receptors in β cells used Cre-loxP to disru...