title: [Leptin and its association with obesity and type 2 diabetes].
abstract: The number of patients with metabolic disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension is increasing worldwide. The increase in body weight as a consequence of genetic, environmental, and nutritional factors contributes to these disorders, playing a significant role in their disease course. In 1994 the obesity gene (ob) which encodes a protein named leptin, considered an important molecule in regulation of body weight, was described Body weight gain has been generally correlated with high plasma levels of leptin, generating a state of leptin-resistance. Because of its association with obesity, leptin has also been connected with type 2 diabetes and insulin-resistance, an essential characteristic of this disease. Leptin has also been linked with other disorders such as dyslipidaemia, and cardiovascular disease (conditions that together are known as metabolic syndrome), as well as cancer, psychological deficits, sexual dysfunction, etc. We describe some important biochemical and molecular aspects associated with the physiology of leptin, emphasizing the pathological consequences associated with obesity and diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Bioquímica, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, México DF, México.
authors.forename: Julio César
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Almanza-Pérez
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blancas-Flores
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: García-Macedo
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alarcón-Aguilar
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cruz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000209:etiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin