open access
Leptin in obesity and hypertension
- Department of Endocrinology, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Scences, Srinagar, Kashmir, India
- Superspeciality Hospital, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Vallabhbai Patel Chest Institute, University Of Delhi, North Campus, Delhi, India
- Department of Medicine, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Kashmir, India
open access
Abstract
Background: Obesity along with hypertension is the common risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Leptin, an anti-obesity hormone, is currently considered to play a vital role in the development of hypertension in obesity. We aim to determine the leptin levels in hypertensive and normotensive participants and to find the correlation between leptin and hypertension in obese and non-obese hypertensive subjects.
Material and methods: A total of 94 participants aged > 18years of either gender were included in the study. The participants were divided into obese (n = 55) and non-obese (n = 39) groups with further subgroups based on presence or absence of hypertension. Height, weight and blood pressure were taken with standard methods. Leptin was determined using ELISA method and intra and inter-group comparisons were made.
Results: The leptin levels were significantly higher in obese (p = 0.000), hypertensive (p = 0.048) and females (p = 0.001) compared to non-obese, normotensive and male participants. Furthermore, obese hypertensive participants were having higher leptin levels compared to obese normotensive participants but with no statistical significance (p = 0.14). Serum leptin levels positively correlated with serum LDL (p = 0.003), body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.000), serum uric acid (p = 0.034) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (p = 0.001). However, on correction for factors like BMI, and obesity, positive correlation persisted only for female gender (p = 0.048) and FPG (p = 0.029). Furthermore, BMI (p = 0.021) and FPG (p = 0.027) were found to be the independent risk factors for elevated leptin levels on multiple regression analysis.
Conclusions: Our study concluded that serum leptin levels are higher in obesity and have a direct correlation with degree of obesity. However, our study does not support any direct correlation between serum leptin and hypertension.
Abstract
Background: Obesity along with hypertension is the common risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Leptin, an anti-obesity hormone, is currently considered to play a vital role in the development of hypertension in obesity. We aim to determine the leptin levels in hypertensive and normotensive participants and to find the correlation between leptin and hypertension in obese and non-obese hypertensive subjects.
Material and methods: A total of 94 participants aged > 18years of either gender were included in the study. The participants were divided into obese (n = 55) and non-obese (n = 39) groups with further subgroups based on presence or absence of hypertension. Height, weight and blood pressure were taken with standard methods. Leptin was determined using ELISA method and intra and inter-group comparisons were made.
Results: The leptin levels were significantly higher in obese (p = 0.000), hypertensive (p = 0.048) and females (p = 0.001) compared to non-obese, normotensive and male participants. Furthermore, obese hypertensive participants were having higher leptin levels compared to obese normotensive participants but with no statistical significance (p = 0.14). Serum leptin levels positively correlated with serum LDL (p = 0.003), body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.000), serum uric acid (p = 0.034) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (p = 0.001). However, on correction for factors like BMI, and obesity, positive correlation persisted only for female gender (p = 0.048) and FPG (p = 0.029). Furthermore, BMI (p = 0.021) and FPG (p = 0.027) were found to be the independent risk factors for elevated leptin levels on multiple regression analysis.
Conclusions: Our study concluded that serum leptin levels are higher in obesity and have a direct correlation with degree of obesity. However, our study does not support any direct correlation between serum leptin and hypertension.
Keywords
leptin; obesity; hypertension
Title
Leptin in obesity and hypertension
Journal
Issue
Article type
Original paper
Pages
26-31
Published online
2022-03-30
Page views
4886
Article views/downloads
800
DOI
Bibliographic record
Arterial Hypertension 2022;26(1):26-31.
Keywords
leptin
obesity
hypertension
Authors
Hilal Bhat
Javaid Ahmad Bhat
Moomin Hussain Bhat
Masrat Rashid
Rafi Jan
Dil Afroze
- Modan M, Halkin H, Almog S, et al. Hyperinsulinemia. A link between hypertension obesity and glucose intolerance. J Clin Invest. 1985; 75(3): 809–817.
- Bradley RL, Cleveland KA, Cheatham B. The adipocyte as a secretory organ: mechanisms of vesicle transport and secretory pathways. Recent Prog Horm Res. 2001; 56: 329–358.
- Guha PK, Villarreal D, Reams GP, et al. Role of leptin in the regulation of body fluid volume and pressures. Am J Ther. 2003; 10(3): 211–218.
- Sharma V, McNeill JH. The emerging roles of leptin and ghrelin in cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology. Curr Vasc Pharmacol. 2005; 3(2): 169–180.
- Hall JE, do Carmo JM, da Silva AA, et al. Obesity-induced hypertension: interaction of neurohumoral and renal mechanisms. Circ Res. 2015; 116(6): 991–1006.
- Considine RV, Sinha MK, Heiman ML, et al. Serum immunoreactive-leptin concentrations in normal-weight and obese humans. N Engl J Med. 1996; 334(5): 292–295.
- Shan J, Nguyen TB, Totary-Jain H, et al. Leptin-enhanced neointimal hyperplasia is reduced by mTOR and PI3K inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008; 105(48): 19006–19011.
- Skurk T, van Harmelen V, Blum WF, et al. Angiotensin II promotes leptin production in cultured human fat cells by an ERK1/2-dependent pathway. Obes Res. 2005; 13(6): 969–973.
- Fogari R, Derosa G, Zoppi A, et al. Comparison of the effects of valsartan and felodipine on plasma leptin and insulin sensitivity in hypertensive obese patients. Hypertens Res. 2005; 28(3): 209–214.
- Masuo K, Mikami H, Ogihara T, et al. Weight reduction and pharmacologic treatment in obese hypertensives. Am J Hypertens. 2001; 14(6 Pt 1): 530–538.
- Weiner JS, Lourie JA. Practical human biology. Academic Press, London–New York 1981: 439.
- Pacific WHORO for the W. The Asia-Pacific perspective : redefining obesity and its treatment. Health Communications Australia. Sydney 2000. . https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/206936 (2020 Mar 7).
- Rose GA, Blackburn H, Rose GA, et al. Cardiovascular survey methods. Monogr Ser World Health Organ. 1968; 56(5): 1–188.
- Page MR. The JNC 8 hypertension guidelines: an in-depth guide. Am J Manag Care. 2014; 20(1 Spec No.): E8.
- Maffei M, Halaas J, Ravussin E, et al. Leptin levels in human and rodent: measurement of plasma leptin and ob RNA in obese and weight-reduced subjects. Nat Med. 1995; 1(11): 1155–1161.
- Zhou YT, Shimabukuro M, Koyama K, et al. Induction by leptin of uncoupling protein-2 and enzymes of fatty acid oxidation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997; 94(12): 6386–6390.
- Way JM, Görgün CZ, Tong Q, et al. Adipose tissue resistin expression is severely suppressed in obesity and stimulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists. J Biol Chem. 2001; 276(28): 25651–25653.
- Courten Mde, Zimmet P, Hodge A, et al. Hyperleptinaemia: the Missing Link in the Metabolic Syndrome? Diabet Med. 1997; 14(3): 200–208, doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9136(199703)14:3<200::aid-dia336>3.0.co;2-v.
- Kunz I, Schorr U, Klaus S, et al. Resting metabolic rate and substrate use in obesity hypertension. Hypertension. 2000; 36(1): 26–32.
- Golan E, Tal B, Dror Y, et al. Reduction in resting metabolic rate and ratio of plasma leptin to urinary nitric oxide: influence on obesity-related hypertension. Isr Med Assoc J. 2002; 4(6): 426–430.
- Itoh K, Imai K, Masuda T, et al. Relationship between changes in serum leptin levels and blood pressure after weight loss. Hypertens Res. 2002; 25(6): 881–886.
- Canatan H, Bakan I, Akbulut M, et al. Comparative analysis of plasma leptin levels in both genders of patients with essential hypertension and healthy subjects. Endocr Res. 2004; 30(1): 95–105.
- Schutte R, Huisman HW, Schutte AE, et al. Leptin is independently associated with systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure and arterial compliance in hypertensive African women with increased adiposity: the POWIRS study. J Hum Hypertens. 2005; 19(7): 535–541.
- Xie D, Bollag WB. Obesity, hypertension and aldosterone: is leptin the link? J Endocrinol. 2016; 230(1): F7–FF11.
- Kumar V, Evans LC, Kurth T, et al. Therapeutic Suppression of mTOR (Mammalian Target of Rapamycin) Signaling Prevents and Reverses Salt-Induced Hypertension and Kidney Injury in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats. Hypertension. 2019; 73(3): 630–639.
- Almeida-Pititto B, Gimeno SGA, Freire RD, et al. Japanese-Brazilian Diabetes Study Group. Leptin is not associated independently with hypertension in Japanese-Brazilian women. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2006; 39(1): 99–105.
- Harigaya A, Nagashima K, Nako Y, et al. Relationship between concentration of serum leptin and fetal growth. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997; 82(10): 3281–3284.
- Saad MF, Riad-Gabriel MG, Khan A, et al. Diurnal and ultradian rhythmicity of plasma leptin: effects of gender and adiposity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998; 83(2): 453–459.
- Kennedy A, Gettys TW, Watson P, et al. The metabolic significance of leptin in humans: gender-based differences in relationship to adiposity, insulin sensitivity, and energy expenditure. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997; 82(4): 1293–1300.
- Shankar A, Xiao J. Positive relationship between plasma leptin level and hypertension. Hypertension. 2010; 56(4): 623–628.
- Henriksen J, Holst J, Moller S, et al. Elevated circulating leptin levels in arterial hypertension: relationship to arteriovenous overflow and extraction of leptin. Clin Sci (Lond). 2000; 99(6): 527.
- Farias DR, Franco-Sena AB, Rebelo F, et al. Polymorphisms of Leptin (G2548A) and Leptin Receptor (Q223R and K109R) Genes and Blood Pressure During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: A Cohort. Am J Hypertens. 2017; 30(2): 130–140.
- El-Gharbawy AH, Kotchen JM, Grim CE, et al. Gender-specific correlates of leptin with hypertension-related phenotypes in African Americans. Am J Hypertens. 2002; 15(11): 989–993.
- Hu FB, Chen C, Wang B, et al. Leptin concentrations in relation to overall adiposity, fat distribution, and blood pressure in a rural Chinese population. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001; 25(1): 121–125.
- Eikelis N, Lambert G, Wiesner G, et al. Extra-adipocyte leptin release in human obesity and its relation to sympathoadrenal function. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2004; 286(5): E744–E752.
- Pecoits-Filho R, Nordfors L, Heimbürger O, et al. Soluble leptin receptors and serum leptin in end-stage renal disease: relationship with inflammation and body composition. Eur J Clin Invest. 2002; 32(11): 811–817.
- Risch L, Saely C, Hoefle G, et al. Relationship between glomerular filtration rate and the adipokines adiponectin, resistin and leptin in coronary patients with predominantly normal or mildly impaired renal function. Clin Chim Acta. 2007; 376(1-2): 108–113.