Correlation of leptin and sex hormones with endocrine changes in healthy Saudi women of different body weights.
BACKGROUND
A relationship between estrogen and leptin has been described during the follicular phase of both spontaneous menstrual cycles and cycles stimulated with exogenous follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which suggest that leptin has either a direct effect on or is regulated by gonadal steroids in the human ovary. To examine the changes in plasma leptin levels during the menstrual cycle, we studied the association between plasma leptin and reproductive hormones in young, healthy Saudi women.


METHODS
Sixty-five young women between 19 to 39 years of age, with a normal menstrual cycle, were grouped into 33 overweight and obese females of BMI >25 kg/m2, and 32 lean females of BMI <25 kg/m2. Anthropometrics measurements were made at the time of the collection. Samples were analyzed for leptin, progesterone, estradiol (E2), FSH, luteinizing hormone (LH), cortisol, and testosterone concentrations.


RESULTS
Overweight and obese women, compared with lean, tended to have a significantly higher plasma leptin levels (11.38 +/- 4.06 vs. 6.22 +/- 2.87 ng/mL; P=0.05). In overweight and obese subjects, circulating leptin concentrations showed a directcorrelation with BMI (r=0.53; P=0.002), hip circumference (r=0.32; P=0.005), waist-hip ratio (r=0.37; P=0.042), weight (r=0.41; P=0.021), and E2 on day 3 (r=0.35; P=0.048). In all correlation analyses, leptin levels did not correlate with cortisol or testosterone. In lean subjects, a bivariate correlation analysis showed that plasma leptin concentrations were directly correlated to hip circumference (r=0.43; P=0.012). Moreover, a direct correlation was found with progesterone on day 10 (r=0.43; P=0.014) and E2 on day 24 (r=0.47; P=0.007).


CONCLUSIONS
There is a link between plasma leptin and progesterone concentrations during the menstrual cycle, and the variation in circulating estradiol concentrations may have an influence on circulating leptin in female subjects.
Al-Harithy
Rowyda N
RN
Department of Biochemistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. ralharithy@yahoo.com
Al-Doghaither
Huda
H
Abualnaja
Khalid
K
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D004702:Endocrine Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D020738:Leptin; D013739:Testosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone