title: Leptin: sympathetic and cardiovascular effects.
abstract: Shortly after leptin was first discovered, it was hailed as the key to understanding obesity. However, it didn't take long for investigators to realize that the hormone was more than a feedback signal to inhibit further food intake. Since those early days, leptin has been well characterized in rodents. It exerts an influence in many physiologic processes, including food intake, thermoregulation, fertility, thyroid function, adrenal function, sympathetic nerve activation, renal function, blood vessel tone, and blood pressure. No longer a satiety hormone, it is being looked at from many different perspectives. One such perspective is its influence on the cardiovascular system. This review highlights some of the work in this area.
authors.affiliation: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Medicine, Section of Nephrology, 1542 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blalock
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Efrain
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reisin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin