Leptin: pathogenesis and treatment of morbid obesity.

Leptin is a hormone produced primarily by the adipocytes. It works through different receptors and seems to provide information to the hypothalamus about the energy status of the body. Although leptin appears to exert its anti-obesity effect through its central action, the full spectrum of its action is yet to be determined. Most obese subjects in studies have high serum levels of leptin, suggesting that the major problem is leptin resistance rather than leptin deficiency. Consequently, these patients may not respond to exogenous leptin. Recent trials have indicated, however, that leptin may have therapeutic potential in leptin-deficient as well as leptin-resistant states.