Abstract
To better understand the biology of leptin during prenatal life, the developmental and spatial regulation of leptin was studied in ovine fetuses. Fetal plasma leptin increased steadily between days 40 and 143 postcoitus (PC), but it was unrelated to fetal weight or placental weight at day 135 PC. Leptin gene expression was detected in fetal brain and liver during most of gestation and in fetal adipose tissue after day 100 PC. At day 130 PC, expression in fetal perirenal adipose tissue was approximately 10% of maternal expression. In contrast, leptin gene expression was never detected in the placenta and other uteroplacental tissues. When ewes were fed 55% of requirements between days 122 and 135 PC, fetal plasma leptin remained constant despite acute reduction in maternal concentration. We conclude that fetal plasma leptin originates mostly from nonadipose tissue in early pregnancy and, in addition, from fetal adipose tissue near term. The role of fetal plasma leptin remains uncertain given the lack of nutritional regulation and association with fetal growth.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
