Differences in leptin biosynthesis in the stomach and in serum leptin level between men and women

Abstract

Background and Aim:Although the stomach has been identified as an important source of leptin, the detailed biosynthesis sites of leptin in human gastrointestinal tract have not been fully elucidated. The study objective was to compare leptin distribution and expression in the stomach and its serum level between healthy men and women. Methods: Nineteen subjects (organ donors; 10 men and 9 women) with normal gastric mucosa histology were recruited. Research material contained gastric samples from the cardia, fundus, and pyloric regions. Gastric mucosa leptin content and leptin gene expression were determined by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction method. Plasma leptin level was measured using ELISA method. Results: In the stomach of healthy adult subjects, leptin-immunoreactive cells were mainly found in the fundus, and the number of immunoreactive cells was higher in women than in men. Leptin-containing cells were less numerous in the cardia and pylorus mucosa. Similarly, leptin gene expression was the highest in the fundus and higher in women than in men. Serum leptin level was higher in women than in men and was found to correlate positively with body mass index and weight in both sexes. A negative correlation between leptin level and age was noted in women, but not in men. Conclusions:The current study is the first to provide evidence for the presence of leptincontaining cells in all segments of the human stomach. The differences in gastric leptin biosynthesis and serum leptin levels between men and women suggest that leptin secretion can be controlled by sex hormones or other unknown factors.

The Levels of Leptin, Cystatin C, Neuropilin-1 and Tau Protein in Relation to Dietary Habits in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Moreover, women show greater variability in leptin levels after stress, which indicates that leptin may have different effects on the development of obesity in response to stress depending on gender [41]. The reasons for women's increased susceptibility to AD have not been sufficiently described, but based on the data presented, it can be assumed that one of the reasons may be sex hormones; they cause differential leptin biosynthesis in the stomach and different leptin concentrations in the serum of men and women [42].…”

Relation of serum IL-32 levels and gene polymorphism rs45499297 with obesity in Mexican patients: a laboratory and in silico analysis

“…This result could be due to the different hormonal profiles existing between both genders, as it is well known that people with obesity have high levels of leptin (34,35). Leptin is present in higher amounts in females than in males (36,37). Therefore, the TC genotype may confer protection against being overweight and obese in men more than women due to hormonal reasons.…”

Role of Leptin in the Digestive System

“…Leptin expression is not restricted to adipose tissues; a significant amount of leptin is also produced by the stomach (Kasacka et al, 2019). Bado et al initially discovered that leptin is expressed in rat stomach epithelium (Bado et al, 1998), and other researchers later observed leptin expression in the human stomach as well (Breidert et al, 1999;Sobhani et al, 2000).…”