Abstract

Leptin is an adipokine whose proinflammatory properties contribute to the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases but also to the development and progression of inflammation in several non-autoimmune inflammatory conditions of the kidney, liver, lung, endometrium, blood vessels and endothelia. Here we review the influences of leptin in those conditions and the pertinent experimental work that has defined some mechanisms of action and/or suggested a therapeutic potential for leptin-based modulation of inflammation in non-autoimmune conditions.

Keywords: Inflammation, leptin, hypothalamic neurons, Th1 and Th2 cytokines, Treg, Teff, STAT, Non-Autoimmune Conditions