Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Leptin Levels and mTOR in Male Wistar Rats

Obesity and metabolic syndrome increase oxidative stress and Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which accelerate skin aging. Intermittent fasting (IF) potentially modulates leptin and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways involved in energy homeostasis and autophagy. Objective of the study is to determine the effect of 16:8 IF for 4 weeks on serum leptin levels and hepatic mTOR gene expression in male Wistar rats. An experimental laboratory study with posttest only control group design. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into control (ad libitum, n=15) and IF 16:8 (n=15) groups. Leptin levels were measured by ELISA and mTOR expression by RT-PCR ΔΔCt method. IF group showed significant decrease in leptin levels (5.2±0.9 vs 8.5±1.2 ng/mL, p=0.001) and mTOR expression (0.42 vs 1.00-fold change, p=0.003) compared to control. 16:8 intermittent fasting for 4 weeks reduces leptin levels and mTOR expression in male Wistar rats, thus may potentially serve as an anti-aging approach.