Alexe Delia-Marina, Syridou Garyfallia, Petridou Eleni Th
Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Athens University School of Medicine, Goudi, 11527, Athens, Greece.
Clin Med Res. 2006 Dec;4(4):326-35. doi: 10.3121/cmr.4.4.326.
The early (intrauterine and neonatal) life environment plays an important role in programming the susceptibility in later life to chronic degenerative diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancer and osteoporosis. Among other hormones, leptin plays a major role in the regulation of the overall metabolism and has multiple neuroendocrine (adeno- and neuro-hypophysis axes and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis) and immune functions. The hormone exerts its actions beginning in the early life time period, regulating the intrauterine and early extrauterine life growth and development, as well as the adaptation to extrauterine life, neonatal thermogenesis and response to stress. Recent findings also support a role of leptin in the process of fetal bone remodeling and brain development. Therefore, it is of interest to explore the physiology of leptin in early life, as well as those factors that may perturb the balance of the hormone with pathological consequences in terms of confining an increased risk for disease in later life. This review aims to summarize reported findings concerning the role of leptin in early life, as well as the association of fetal, maternal and placental factors with leptin levels, while attempting to speculate mechanisms through which these factors may influence the risk for developing chronic diseases in later life.
早期（子宫内和新生儿期）生活环境在决定个体日后患慢性退行性疾病（如肥胖症、心血管疾病、糖尿病、癌症和骨质疏松症）的易感性方面起着重要作用。在诸多激素中，瘦素在整体新陈代谢的调节中发挥着主要作用，并且具有多种神经内分泌功能（腺垂体和神经垂体轴以及下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺轴）和免疫功能。该激素从生命早期就开始发挥作用，调节子宫内和宫外早期的生长发育，以及对宫外生活的适应、新生儿产热和应激反应。最近的研究结果还支持瘦素在胎儿骨骼重塑和大脑发育过程中发挥作用。因此，探索早期生活中瘦素的生理学，以及那些可能扰乱该激素平衡并导致日后疾病风险增加的病理后果的因素，具有重要意义。本综述旨在总结已报道的关于瘦素在早期生活中的作用，以及胎儿、母亲和胎盘因素与瘦素水平之间的关联，同时尝试推测这些因素可能影响日后患慢性疾病风险的机制。
