Interplay Of Leptin And Insulin In Atherosclerosis Patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Leptin is found to be involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and obesity. It potentiates pressor effects of hyperinsulinemia in insulin-resistant states and its interaction with insulin may have deleterious cardiovascular effects in the setting of obesity. Hence, it becomes important to understand the interplay between leptin and insulin in atherosclerosis subjects. METHOD: The correlation between serum leptin and insulin in atherosclerosis subjects were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: Serum leptin was found to be significantly higher in atherosclerosis subjects, than in control (non-CVD) subjects of different BMI and was found to exhibit a positive correlation with BMI in these subjects.  Leptin values were found to be higher in normal weight atherosclerosis subjects when compared to that of overweight control subjects indicative of possible leptin resistance in them during pathological conditions. Serum insulin was found to be higher and positively correlated to BMI and leptin in atherosclerosis subjects and its values were found to be positively correlated to leptin in these subjects. CONCLUSION: The interplay between leptin and insulin play a vital role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.