Down-regulation of SOCS3 gene in hypothalamus attenuates diet-induced obesity in young rats

Aims Acquired childhood obesity is becoming increasingly apparent with the changes in children`s life-style and eating environment, which become a severe social and medical problem. Our previous studies have found that the leptin concentrations were high in obese children, supporting that leptin resistance is a main mechanism of childhood obesity. The suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is a negative-feedback regulator of leptin signaling involved in leptin resistance, therefore suppression of SOCS3 is a potential therapy for leptin-resistance in obesity. In the studies, we investigate whether hypothalamic silencing of SOCS3 would attenuate diet-induced obesity and leptin resistance in young rats.