Early Onset of Reproductive Function in Normal Female Mice Treated with Leptin

作者：Farid F Chehab, Khalid Mounzih, Ronghua Lu, Mary E. Lim · 发表于：Science · 年份：1997 · DOI：10.1126/science.275.5296.88 · 被引用次数：846 · 研究领域：Regulation of Appetite and Obesity、Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases、Adipose Tissue and Metabolism

Numerous studies have revealed an association between nutritional status, adiposity, and reproductive maturity. The role of leptin, a hormone secreted from adipose tissue, in the onset of reproductive function was investigated. Normal prepubertal female mice injected with leptin grew at a slower rate than controls as a result of the hormone's thinning effects, but they reproduced up to 9 days earlier than controls and showed earlier maturation of the reproductive tract. These results suggest that leptin acts as a signal triggering puberty, thus supporting the hypothesis that fat accumulation enhances maturation of the reproductive tract.