Chehab F F, Mounzih K, Lu R, Lim M E
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, 505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0134, USA.
Science. 1997 Jan 3;275(5296):88-90. doi: 10.1126/science.275.5296.88.
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.
众多研究揭示了营养状况、肥胖与生殖成熟之间的关联。对脂肪组织分泌的一种激素——瘦素在生殖功能启动过程中的作用进行了研究。注射了瘦素的正常青春期前雌性小鼠，由于该激素的消瘦作用，生长速度比对照组慢，但它们比对照组提前9天开始繁殖，且生殖道成熟更早。这些结果表明，瘦素作为触发青春期的信号，从而支持了脂肪积累促进生殖道成熟这一假说。
