This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 90/4/2212    most recent Author Manuscript (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kratzsch, J. Articles by Kiess, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kratzsch, J. Articles by Kiess, W. Related Collections Pediatric Endocrinology Obesity

Inverse Changes in the Serum Levels of the Soluble Leptin Receptor and Leptin in Neonates: Relations to Anthropometric Data

Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine (J.K., J.T.), D-04103 Leipzig, Germany; Evangelisches Krankenhaus (C.S., B.S.), D-35398 Giessen, Germany; and Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig (A.Bo., A.Be., W.K.), D-04317 Leipzig, Germany

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Juergen Kratzsch, Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostic, University Hospital Leipzig, Paul List Strasse 13–15; D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. E-mail: kraj{at}medizin.uni-leipzig.de.

We aimed to evaluate the role of the soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), the major leptin-binding protein in blood, for the regulation of growth and development of neonates. Therefore, human arterial and venous cord blood samples were taken from newborns of 45 healthy mothers to investigate correlations with anthropometric data. Furthermore, we compared changes in sOB-R and leptin in neonatal serum between postnatal d 1, 3, and 5. Cord blood levels of leptin (direct correlation) and the molar sOB-R/leptin ratio (inverse correlation) correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with weight, triceps, biceps, iliacal, and subscapular skinfolds at birth as well as on d 3 and 5 of life. During the first week of life, median leptin levels decreased significantly (P < 0.001) from 3.4 ng/ml in venous cord blood to 2.2 ng/ml in venous blood on d 1 after birth to 0.88 ng/ml on d 3 and 0.75 ng/ml on d 5. In contrast and most interestingly, median levels of sOB-R increased significantly (P < 0.001) from 14.5 ng/ml in cord blood to 18.9 ng/ml on d 1, 83 ng/ml on d 3, and 79.4 ng/ml on d 5. Consequently, the molar sOB-R/leptin ratio increased from 0.45 to 1.30 (d 1), 10.5 (d 3), and 13.7 (d 5) during the same period (P < 0.001). We found a remarkable postnatal change in the leptin-sOB-R axis with decreasing leptin and increasing sOB-R levels. Hence, the sOB-R may block leptin function by its competition with the membrane receptor for the ligand. These suppressive effects may be an important stimulus for energy uptake in the first week of life or in other conditions with a high energy demand.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. Pan, H. Hsuchou, H. Tu, and A. J. Kastin Developmental Changes of Leptin Receptors in Cerebral Microvessels: Unexpected Relation to Leptin Transport Endocrinology, March 1, 2008; 149(3): 877 - 885. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D.-M. Alexe, G. Syridou, and E. Th. Petridou Determinants of Early Life Leptin Levels and Later Life Degenerative Outcomes Clin. Med. Res., December 1, 2006; 4(4): 326 - 335. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J Kratzsch, I Knerr, A Galler, T Kapellen, K Raile, A Korner, J Thiery, J Dotsch, and W Kiess Metabolic decompensation in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus associated with increased serum levels of the soluble leptin receptor. Eur. J. Endocrinol., October 1, 2006; 155(4): 609 - 614. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]