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Leptin
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Leptin is a peptide hormone, that is, one made of a chain of amino acids. White adipose tissue, the body's fat, makes it, and the instructions for building it are in the ob gene.
The interesting part is where the message comes from. The amount of leptin in the blood is proportional to the amount of adipose tissue, so it tells the central nervous system how much energy is stored away for the long term. It is a gauge that tells you how much is left in the pantry.
The message arrives at one specific place: the arcuate nucleus, a group of neurons in the hypothalamus. There leptin stimulates proopiomelanocortin neurons and inhibits neuropeptide Y neurons, and appetite falls.
That makes what happens in obesity surprising. People with obesity have higher leptin, not lower, and that hyperleptinemia, which means elevated leptin in the blood, is associated with leptin resistance: the signal is high and the body responds less to it.
In brief
Leptin is a peptide hormone synthesized by white adipose tissue and encoded by the ob gene.
Its blood level is proportional to the amount of adipose tissue and signals long-term energy stores to the central nervous system.
A gauge that tells you how much is left in the pantry.
In the arcuate nucleus it stimulates proopiomelanocortin neurons and inhibits neuropeptide Y neurons, and appetite falls.
People with obesity have higher leptin, and this hyperleptinemia is associated with leptin resistance.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Leptin, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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