title: Leptin and nitric oxide production in normotensive and hypertensive men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent findings have shown that leptin, the product of the obesity gene, may actively participate in the regulation of blood pressure and other cardiovascular functions through the nitric oxide (NO)-dependent mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, to test the hypothesis that leptin regulation of NO metabolism is impaired in hypertension, we examined the possible relationship between circulating leptin and plasma NO metabolite level in normotensive (NT) and hypertensive (HT) men.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant correlations between circulating leptin and BMI in both the NT and HT groups (NT: r = 0.64, n = 26, p < 0.01; HT: r = 0.59, n = 22, p < 0.01). The concentration of circulating leptin was similar between the NT and HT men, although the plasma NO metabolite level (nitrite and nitrate) was significantly reduced in the HT men compared with the NT men (NT: 51.0 +/- 4.9 microM, n = 26; HT: 37.1 +/- 2.5 microM, n = 22, p < 0.05). The circulating leptin was significantly correlated with the plasma NO metabolite level in the overall analysis of the NT and HT men (r = 0.35, n = 48, p < 0.05). When the analysis of the correlation for the NT and HT men was performed separately, there was a significant correlation between circulating leptin and plasma NO metabolites in the NT men (r = 0.45, n = 26, p < 0.05) but not in the HT men (r = 0.15, n = 22). The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that leptin-related metabolism of NO might be altered in HT men.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Kimiidera 811-1, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan. tsudak@mail.wakayama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nishio
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide