Leptin Gene: Obesity, Cancer, Cardiac Health and Genetic Interactions

Leptin hormone is very well known to play a multifarious role in body. Although it is secreted by adipocytes, it has been observed to exert its effects beyond scientists’ initial speculation periphery of obesity. The neuroendocrine pathway of leptin is known and its role in obesity is understood considerably. Yet the role of leptin like undercurrents of the sea in case of cardiovascular health and initiation of cancer has started to uncover itself recently. The aim of the review is to encompass the recent scientific studies related with leptin levels and its direct effect or an indirect metabolic effect on the initiation and/or propagation of cardiac health and cancer. Many investigations are still underway to recognize the underlying mechanisms, it seems the complete uncovering of the so far unknown leptin function pathways may take some time. The effects on cardiac health have been found to have multiple metabolic pathways. Some of which are discovered up to molecular mechanisms. However, cancer related studies are still unclear and often ambiguous while finding the exact cascade of events. This may be partly because cancer originates in multiple organs. Moreover, numerous signalling, molecular and metabolic as well as other functional pathways are involved in cancer commencement and propagation. Last part of review summarises is interplay between the leptin gene with some other crucially important genes which regulate the energy balance, and are expressed on variety of cellular sites.