Clinicotherapeutic Potential of Leptin in Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Chronic neurodegenerative diseases are a group of devastating neurological disorders that result in significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly population worldwide. Recent researches have shown some interesting associations of the classical antiobesity hormone leptin with two most important neurodegenerative diseases-Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Although several clinical studies have found the procognitive and memory-enhancing role of this peptide hormone in leptin-deficient patients, surprisingly it has not been used in any clinical trials involving patients with developing or fullblown neurodegenerative conditions. This review article is an attempt to bring together the existing information about the clinical associations of leptin with AD and PD. It starts with the basic understanding of leptin action in the brain and its derangements in these diseases and eventually discusses the potential of this hormone as a neuroprotective agent in clinical scenario.

Combination treatment with leptin and pioglitazone in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

“…Conversely, the role of leptin in inflammation in AD is poorly understood. Leptin has been associated with inflammation and immune responses [92] , and an active interaction of the central nervous system with the immune system through cytokines and other inflammatory factors has been described [93] . The present study confirms reports [94] demonstrating a significant increase in GFAP and Iba1 expression in both neocortex and hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice relative to WT controls, which corresponded with a general upregulation of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and iNOS transcripts.…”