Increased Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Sensitivity in Transgenic Skinny Mice Overexpressing Leptin

摘要

Excess of body fat, or obesity, is a major health problem and confers a higher risk of cardiovascular and meta- bolic disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. Leptin is an adipocyte-derived satiety factor that plays an important role in the regu- lation of energy homeostasis, and its sythesis and secretion are markedly increased in obese subjects. To explore the metabolic consequences of an increased amount of leptin on a long-term basis in vivo, we gen- erated transgenic skinny mice with elevated plasma leptin concentrations comparable to those in obese subjects.