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The role of leptin in obesity and the potential for leptin replacement therapy

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Abstract

Leptin (from the Greek word “lepto’’ meaning “thin”) is a 167-amino acid peptide hormone encoded by the obesity (ob) gene and secreted by white adipocytes. Blood leptin concentrations are increased in obese individuals. Leptin is a satiety hormone that provides negative feedback to the hypothalamus, controlling appetite and energy expenditure. Leptin binds to presynaptic GABAergic neurons to produce its effect, raising the distinct possibility that GABAergic axon terminals are the ultimate subcellular site of action for its effects. Released into the circulation, leptin crosses the blood–brain barrier and binds to leptin receptors, influencing the activity of various hypothalamic neurons, as well as encoding orexigenic and anorexigenic neuropeptides. Moreover, leptin affects a wide range of metabolic functions in the peripheral tissue. In this review, we discuss some physiologic functions of leptin, including effects on obesity and some effects of leptin replacement therapy.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by grants from the Project of the Department of Science and Technology of Hebei Province (No.11276156). The Project of the Key medical scientific research planned of health Department of Hebei Province (No.20120357).

Conflict of interest

The authors confirm that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 12 Health Road, Shijiazhuang, 050011, China

    Helin Feng

  2. Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 12 Health Road, Shijiazhuang, 050011, China

    Lihua Zheng & Yaheng Zhao

  3. Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Target and Screening Research, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

    Zhangying Feng

  4. Department of Cardiology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 12 Health Road, Shijiazhuang, 050011, China

    Ning Zhang

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  2. Lihua Zheng
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  3. Zhangying Feng
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  4. Yaheng Zhao
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  5. Ning Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ning Zhang.

Additional information

Helin Feng and Lihua Zheng contributed equally to this study and should be considered co-first

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Feng, H., Zheng, L., Feng, Z. et al. The role of leptin in obesity and the potential for leptin replacement therapy. Endocrine 44, 33–39 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-012-9865-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-012-9865-y

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