Leptin therapy in type 2 diabetes.

There is a pressing need for new effective therapeutic strategies for addressing the epidemic of type 2 diabetes. Leptin has been shown to reduce hyperglycaemia in rodent models of type 1 diabetes and has recently been shown to normalize fasting plasma glucose concentrations in a rodent model of polygenic obesity and type 2 diabetes. Overall, these findings suggest that leptin may be an effective therapeutic option for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, short-term human clinical studies in overweight and obese patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes have reported minimal efficacy of leptin administration to lower blood glucose levels. Herein, the role of leptin in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis and the potential use of leptin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes are discussed.