title: The relationship between nocturnal urinary leptin and gonadotrophins as children progress towards puberty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Leptin is necessary for normal human pubertal development but its exact role in the period leading up to the onset of puberty has not been defined. This study has assessed the relationship between leptin and gonadotrophin secretion over time as children progress into puberty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty children (13 boys and 7 girls) judged to be close to the initiation of puberty were recruited. Three consecutive first morning urine samples were collected from each subject each month over 6 months. At the end of the study, the children were classified into those who remained physically prepubertal (n = 7) and those that had advanced in puberty (n = 13). Leptin and gonadotrophins were measured by immunoradiometric and immunofluorometric assay, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total urinary leptin excreted over 6 months was higher in girls than in boys, both prepubertally and in early puberty, and in both sexes, was higher in those advancing into puberty than in those remaining prepubertal (girls 8.0 vs. 3.4 ng/l and boys 3.6 vs. 1.7 ng/l; both p < 0.05). In the whole group, when controlling for gender, there was a significant correlation between both leptin and luteinizing hormone (LH; r = 0.43, p < 0.001) and leptin and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; r = 0.32, p = 0.001). The possibility of a lead relationship was explored by pairing leptin values with the gonadotrophin values in the following month. Leptin was significantly correlated with FSH but not LH in both pre- and peripubertal children (prepubertal r = 0.45, p = 0.01; peripubertal r = 0.32, p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has shown that in children approaching and progressing into puberty, leptin is associated with LH and FSH over the same time frame, and with FSH when leptin is acting as the lead hormone. These data imply that leptin is an important facilitator of the early phases of human puberty.
authors: Endocrine Sciences Research Group, Division of Human Development, School of Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
authors: Arfa R
authors: AR
authors: Maqsood
authors: Julie A
authors: JA
authors: Trueman
authors: Andrew J
authors: AJ
authors: Whatmore
authors: Melissa
authors: M
authors: Westwood
authors: David A
authors: DA
authors: Price
authors: Catherine M
authors: CM
authors: Hall
authors: Peter E
authors: PE
authors: Clayton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000652:urine*; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D006062:Gonadotropins; D020738:Leptin