Inverse Association of Serum Leptin with Flow-Mediated Dilatation Independent of Body Fat Distribution, Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Young Women

Abstract

Chronic hyperleptinemia found in obesity has been shown to be associated with endothelial dysfunction, an early and fundamental event in the development of atherosclerosis. We examined whether elevated leptin levels are associated with decreased endothelial function in young women. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in the brachial artery, fat mass by dual-energy absorptiometry, Matsuda index, an insulin sensitivity index derived from an oral glucose tolerance test, serum leptin, adiponectin, hepatic enzymes, lipid profile, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F- 2α (8-epi-PGF 2α ), a marker of oxidative stress, were measured in 44 young women. After adjustment for age, FMD was associated inversely with percentage of body fat, trunk fat and leg fat. In addition, FMD showed inverse associations with serum leptin, log hsCRP and log alanine aminotransferase (all p<0.05 or less). In multiple regression analysis only leptin emerged as an independent determinant of FMD (standardized beta、-0.325) and explained 11% of FMD variability. In conclusion, leptin serum levels had an impact on arterial distensibility in young women, a finding that raises the possibility that leptin levels in the general population during early adulthood may already be relevant to the development of vascular dysfunction.