1.
The Role of the Adipokine Leptin in Immune Cell Function in Health and Disease.
Kiernan, K, MacIver, NJ
Frontiers in immunology. 2020;:622468
Abstract
Leptin is a critical mediator of the immune response to changes in overall nutrition. Leptin is produced by adipocytes in proportion to adipose tissue mass and is therefore increased in obesity. Despite having a well-described role in regulating systemic metabolism and appetite, leptin displays pleiotropic actions, and it is now clear that leptin has a key role in influencing immune cell function. Indeed, many immune cells have been shown to respond to leptin directly via the leptin receptor, resulting in a largely pro-inflammatory phenotype. Understanding the role of adipose-tissue derived mediators in inflammation is critical to determining the pathophysiology of multiple obesity-associated diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease, and infection. This review, therefore, focuses on the latest data regarding the role of leptin in modulating inflammation.
2.
Leptin: A new therapeutic target for treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Rehman, K, Akash, MSH, Alina, Z
Journal of cellular biochemistry. 2018;(7):5016-5027
Abstract
Leptin is an endogenous protein having 167 amino acids and is derived from adipocytes. It has tertiary structure that resembles with that of the pro-inflammatory cytokines family. The fundamental role of leptin is to maintain the energy homeostasis with the aid of its counter hormone called ghrelin, known as the "hunger hormone." Small quantities of leptin are also present in various tissues like ovary, placenta, pituitary gland, mammary gland, skeletal muscle, stomach, and lymphoid tissue. Expression of leptin is strongly associated with various inflammatory responses and immune system, and plays crucial role in the pathophysiology of obesity and development of diabetes mellitus (DM) and insulin resistance. The metabolic action of leptin is equally important as that of insulin in the pathophysiology of obesity and DM. Thereby, this review article tends to discuss the diverse and complicated role of leptin in the pathogenesis of DM. Furthermore, this article will highlight the signifying role of leptin as a therapeutic target by indicating the targeted treatment of DM through the appropriate understanding of advanced therapeutic approaches using leptin as a treatment strategy for DM.