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Can leptin induce fever?
Author(s) -
Steiner Alexandre A,
Krall Catherine M,
Liu Elaine
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.1034.2
Subject(s) - leptin , medicine , endocrinology , endogeny , hormone , adipocyte , chemistry , obesity , adipose tissue
It is unclear whether physiological acute rises in circulating leptin (an adipocyte‐derived hormone) can cause fever. We studied the effects of recombinant leptin on the body temperature (T b ) and plasma leptin of rats that were food‐deprived (lower baseline leptin) or free‐feeding (higher baseline leptin). The biological activity of leptin was confirmed by its ability to suppress food intake. In food‐deprived (24 h) rats kept in a cool environment (22 °C), iv infusion of leptin (250 μg/kg) elevated T b from hypothermic to normothermic values, but it did not raise T b to febrile values. Such an effect coincided (120 min post‐infusion) with a rise in plasma leptin to a level (7.8 ± 0.6 ng/mL) often found when the endogenous production of leptin is activated. Increasing the leptin dose to 1,000 μg/kg did not further elevate T b in food‐deprived rats. In free‐feeding rats kept in a cool (22 °C) or warm (28 °C) environment, leptin infusion did not alter T b , even when a dose of 3,500 μg/kg raised plasma leptin to a level (75.2 ± 12.6 ng/mL at 120 min) that is substantially above the endogenous level of leptin in leptin‐responsive rats. We conclude that an acute rise in plasma leptin does not induce fever in rats. Support Scholarship of discovery grant, Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences