In previous studies, the insulin resistance of the obese hyperglycemic mouse (ob/ob) was found to be associated with decreased insulin binding to liver, fat, and lymphocytes. The present study demonstrates that the insulin receptors in the liver membranes of the ob/ob mouse are decreased in number, but are indistinguishable from normal by other criteria including affinity, kinetics of associati...

Leptin or obesity receptor (Ob-R) is a member of class I cytokine receptor family. Ob-R, expressed in six isoforms, is the product of alternative RNA splicing of db gene. According to its structural differences, the receptor's isoforms are divided into three classes: long, short, and secretory isoforms. A long, fully active isoform of Ob-Rb is expressed mainly in the hypothalamus, where it take...

The ob gene product, leptin, is a signaling factor regulating body weight and energy balance. ob gene expression in rodents is increased in obesity and is regulated by feeding patterns and hormones, such as insulin and glucocorticoids. In humans with gross obesity, ob mRNA levels are higher, but other modulators of human ob expression are unknown. In view of the importance of peroxisome prolife...

To assess the biological activity and tolerability of pegylated recombinant native human leptin (PEG-OB), 30 obese men (mean body mass index, 33.9 kg/m2) were randomized to a double-blind treatment with weekly sc injections of 20 mg PEG-OB or placebo for 12 weeks, in addition to a hypocaloric diet (deficit, 2 MJ/day). Body composition, energy expenditure, and metabolic parameters were measured ...

Mutations of the leptin receptor have been found to cause obesity in rodents. The fa mutation that is responsible for obesity in Zucker rats is a missense mutation (269 gln-->pro) in the extracellular domain of the leptin receptor. We have characterized the effects of this mutation on the two major isoforms of the leptin receptor, Ob-Rb and Ob-Ra, by studying cell-surface expression, leptin bin...

Leptin, the product of the Ob(Lep) gene, is a peptide hormone that plays a major role in maintaining the balance between food intake and energy expenditure. In the brain, leptin receptors are expressed by hypothalamic cells but also in the olfactory bulb, the first central structure coding for odors, suggesting a precise function of this hormone in odor-evoked activities. Although olfaction pla...

BACKGROUND Leptin-deficient ob/ob mice are a model of type 2 diabetes induced peripheral neuropathy. Ob/ob mice exhibit obesity, insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia, and alterations of peripheral nerve fibres and endoneural microvessels. Here we test the hypothesis that cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP)-Ang-1, a soluble and stabile form of Ang-1 which promotes angiogenesis and nerve gro...

BACKGROUND Olive oil and its minor constituents have been recommended as important dietary therapeutic interventions in preventive medicine. However, a question remains to be addressed: what are the effects of olive oil and its phenolic compounds on obesity-induced cardiac metabolic changes? METHODS Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups (n = 24/group): (C) receiving standard-chow; (Ob...