Obesity Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Obesity, including details on health, diet, prevention, exercise.

Leptin signaling and obesity: cardiovascular consequences.

Yang R, Barouch LA

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

Leptin, among the best known hormone markers for obesity, exerts pleiotropic actions on multiple organ systems. In this review, we summarize major leptin signaling pathways, namely Janus-activated kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription and mitogen-activated protein kinase, including possible mechanisms of leptin resistance in obesity. The effects of leptin on the cardiovascular system are discussed in detail, including its contributions to hypertension, atherosclerosis, depressed myocardial contractile function, fatty acid metabolism, hypertrophic remodeling, and reduction of ischemic/reperfusion injury. The overall goal is to summarize current understanding of how altered leptin signaling in obesity contributes to obesity-related cardiovascular disease.

Published 17 September 2007 in Circ Res, 101(6): 545-59.
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