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Effect of Systemic Oxytocin Administration on Dexamethasone-Induced Leptin Secretion in Normal and Obese Men

Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Scienze Biomediche, Facoltà di Medicina, Università di Parma (P.C., R.V., S.C., V.C.), 43100 Parma; and Unità di Endocrinologia, Ospedale di Codogno (L.C., G.S.), Codogno, Italy

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Paolo Chiodera, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Scienze Biomediche, Università di Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43100 Parma, Italy.

To establish whether the regulatory mechanism of leptin secretion is sensitive to oxytocin (OT), seven healthy nonobese men were tested with dexamethasone (dex; 4 mg, iv, at 0730 h) in feeding (2000 Cal given at 3 meals over 7 h) conditions either in the absence (iv normal saline infusion) or in the presence of a constant iv infusion of OT (1, 2, or 4 mIU/min from 0730 h for 10 h). In six additional subjects under similar experimental conditions, normal saline or OT (1, 2, or 4 mIU/min from 0730 h for 10 h) were infused iv without the previous treatment with dexamethasone. Serum leptin concentrations were measured in samples taken at 60-min intervals during infusion. Leptin levels remained constant during the infusion of normal saline or OT (1, 2, or 4 mIU/min) alone. In contrast, serum leptin concentrations rose significantly from the baseline after dex administration. The leptin response to dex was not modified by the concomitant infusion of 1 mIU/min OT, whereas it was completely abolished by the administration of 2 or 4 mIU/min OT.

These findings led us to evaluate the secretory pattern of leptin in 12 obese patients in similar experimental conditions. In all patients basal leptin levels were significantly higher than those in normal weight subjects. In 6 obese subjects, the infusion of OT alone (1, 2, or 4 mIU/min) was unable to change serum leptin levels. In the remaining 6 obese subjects, dex administration significantly increased serum leptin levels; however, the leptin response to dex was not modified by the concomitant infusion of 1, 2, or 4 mIU/min OT.

These data show inhibition by elevated circulating OT levels of glucocorticoid-induced, but not basal, leptin secretion in normal weight subjects, suggesting a possible role for OT in the regulatory control of leptin. Furthermore, the results obtained in obese subjects indicate that this regulation is disrupted in obesity.