Background and Objectives: Calorie restriction (CR) is one of the proven methods of extending lifespan and slowing aging. Leptin is a nutritionally regulated adipokine that has been proposed as a possible key signal in the adaptive responses relevant to CR. Under CR, plasma leptin levels decrease, thus it was hypothesized that leptin administration may counteract CR-induced weight loss. Therefo...

The aim of this study was to investigate the regulation of serum leptin levels by gender and gonadal steroid milieu. Thus, we measured serum leptin levels by radioimmunoassay in (a) intact male and female rats, (b) female rats at different stages of the estrous cycle and (c) ovariectomized or orchidectomized rats. Gonadectomized groups were or were not implanted with silastic capsules (10 or 30...

Emerging evidence has suggested a critical role of leptin in hepatic inflammation and fibrogenesis, however, the precise mechanisms underlying the profibrogenic action of leptin in the liver has not been well elucidated. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the expression and functions of leptin receptors (Ob-R) in hepatic sinusoidal cells. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), Kup...

Purpose: To investigate the effect of puerarin on symptoms depression in ovariectomized female rat model, and mechanism action involved.
 Methods: Ninety healthy Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were assigned to five groups: sham, low-dose puerarin, medium-dose high-dose groups, with 18 per group. Changes levels dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), apoptosis-related prot...

Leptin regulates appetite and body weight via hypothalamic targets, but it can act directly on cultured pancreatic islets to regulate their fat metabolism. To obtain in vivo evidence that leptin may act peripherally as well as centrally, we compared the effect of adenovirally induced hyperleptinemia on food intake, body weight, and islet fat content in ventromedial hypothalamic-lesioned (VMHL) ...

The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis is a major contributor in maintaining energy expenditure and body weight, and the adipocyte hormone leptin regulates this axis by increasing TRH levels in the fed state. Leptin stimulates TRH directly in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN; direct pathway) and indirectly by regulating proopiomelnocortin neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate ...

Proper nutritional status is critical for maintaining growth and metabolic function, playing an intimate role in neuroendocrine regulation. Leptin, the recently identified product of the obese gene, may very well be an integral signal which regulates neuroendocrine responses in times of food deprivation. The present study examines leptin's ability to regulate hormonal synthesis and secretion wi...