Clinical associations of serum leptin and leptin/adiponectin ratio in systemic sclerosis

Abstract

A b s t r a c tIntroduction: Leptin and adiponectin have recently received the attention of researchers as attractive biomarkers in systemic sclerosis (SSc) because of their role in the inflammatory process, vascular function and fibrosis. We hypothesized that leptin and adiponectin may be associated with disease activity and severity in patients with SSc. Aim: To compare serum leptin, adiponectin and leptin/adiponectin levels in patients with SSc and healthy controls and to evaluate their possible relationship with frequently used laboratory markers and clinical findings. Material and methods: The study included 48 Caucasian female patients with SSc and 38 healthy controls. Serum concentrations of leptin and adiponectin were measured in patients and controls using commercially available ELISA Kits (Quantikine ELISA Kit R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA). The results were assessed by the Mann-Whitney U-test and Spearman's correlation test. Results: Leptin and adiponectin levels correlated with body mas index SSc patients (r = 0.495, p = 0.000398 and r = -0.306; p = 0.0342) in contrast to healthy controls (p = 0.070 and p = 0.256, respectively), and, in SSc patients only, a strong negative correlation was observed between leptin and adiponectin serum levels (r = -0.314; p = 0.0312). Diffuse form of the disease (dcSSc) was associated with significantly lower serum adiponectin levels (8638.62 ±10382.62). Active disease was associated with significantly lower leptin concentration (13700.49 ±18293.32) and there was a significant negative correlation between leptin serum level and activity index score (r = -0.342; p = 0.0185). Conclusions:The results of our study indicate that leptin levels might correlate with disease activity and subtype in SSc patients.

Body mass index and adipokines/cytokines dysregulation in Systemic Sclerosis

“…TNFα, IL-2, leptin and resistin were higher in SSc patients than in HD. These findings are globally consistent with the literature reporting an increase in cytokines/adipokines in SSc to different extents (4,8,9,(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24). However, attempts to correlate each cytokine/adipokine to the disease activity of SSc and to BMI have yielded conflicting results.…”

The PREdictor of MAlnutrition in Systemic Sclerosis (PREMASS) Score: A Combined Index to Predict 12 Months Onset of Malnutrition in Systemic Sclerosis

“…We noted that both adiponectin and leptin inversely correlated to BMI in SSc patients, as already reported ( 47 ). Further, we noticed that within the same BMI range, patients who became malnourished at 12 months had relatively higher A/L ratio compared to those who did not, suggesting that the serum levels of adiponectin and leptin may play a role in predicting future malnutrition.…”

The Important Role of Leptin in Modulating the Risk of Dermatological Diseases

“…The expression of leptin receptor was found in the hypothalamus, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, keratinocytes, adipocytes, and blood mononuclear cells (20). After binding to its receptor in the hypothalamus, leptin activates an important signaling cascade which subsequently induces the inhibition of several orexigenic neuropeptides (21). Thus, we can speculate from these findings that the wide distribution of leptin receptors leads to the pleiotropic function of leptin.…”

“…Leptin receptor is a transmembrane receptor which is similar to the Class I cytokine receptors family ( 22 ). Owing to the differences within the basic structure, several isoforms of leptin receptor can be distinguished, including the short isoform and the full-length isoforms.…”