BookSam Dagogo-Jack, editor ; contributors Denis G. Baskin [and forty one others].
Summary: Twenty years after its discovery, recombinant human leptin has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with lipodystrophy. Beginning with a synthesis of the vast body of work on its discovery, dissection of mechanisms, and effects in experimental models , the focus of this book shifts to a consideration of the regulation and role of leptin in humans. The emphasis on human-level data is a unique feature of this book. The results of numerous studies indicate that leptin is indeed a regulated human hormone. Leptin provides a detailed account of the myriad physiological, hormonal, metabolic, immunological, mitogenic and inflammatory modulators and targets of leptin in a single volume. Next follows a comprehensive presentation of the therapeutic trials of recombinant leptin in patients with congenital leptin deficiency, lipodystrophy, hypothalamic amenorrhea, and other emerging areas, including leptin supplementation in leptin-replete subjects, leptin substitution for insulin in diabetic models, and novel combination regimens of leptin and other biogenic peptides. Unanswered questions and future directions in leptin research are highlighted in the Foreword by Dr. Jeffrey Friedman and throughout the volume. Identifying such questions helps direct research that could deepen understanding of the complex regulation of leptin under physiological and pathological conditions, a critical prerequisite to its rational deployment in the treatment of human disorders.
Contents:
Discovery of leptin and elucidation of leptin gene expression
Leptin receptors and mechanism of action
Leptin interaction with brain orexigenic and anorexigenic pathways
Measurement of circulating leptin and soluble leptin receptors
Physiological and hormonal factors that influence leptin production
Leptin, obesity and leptin resistance
Leptin and intermediary metabolism: Focus on glucoregulation and lipid metabolism
Leptin in acute stress
Leptin and the kidney
Leptin, immune function, and inflammation
Leptin and bone
Leptin, cell cycle, and cancer
Leptin, the autonomic nervous system, and hypertension
Dynamic leptin secretion in obesity and diabetes
Leptin therapy of congenital leptin deficiency
Leptin therapy in people with normal leptin gene
Leptin therapy in patients with lipodystrophy and syndromic insulin resistance
Leptin therapy in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea
Leptin therapy as a substitute for insulin replacement in experimental models of diabetes: Clinical implications in humans
Novel combinatorial therapies involving leptin: Opportunities for mechanistic advances and therapeutic translation in human diseases.