title: Plasma leptin concentration in dogs: effects of body condition score, age, gender and breeds.
abstract: Leptin is a cytokine produced by adipocytes, and plays a key role in the regulation of energy balance. In the present study, we measured plasma leptin concentrations of 166 normal and obese dogs visiting veterinary practices, and clarified the influence of age, gender and breed on plasma leptin levels in dogs. Leptin levels were higher in the dogs with higher body condition scores. There was no noticeable influence of age, gender and breed, but those in optimal puppies and obese Miniature Dachshund tended to be lower than those in corresponding groups. We conclude that plasma leptin is a reliable marker of adiposity in dogs regardless of age, gender and breed variations, and thereby useful as a blood biochemistry test for health examinations and treatment of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Nursing, School of Veterinary Nursing and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1, Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan. katsumi@nvlu.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishioka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosoya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honjoh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin