Masuzaki H, Ogawa Y, Sagawa N, Hosoda K, Matsumoto T, Mise H, Nishimura H, Yoshimasa Y, Tanaka I, Mori T, Nakao K
Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
Nat Med. 1997 Sep;3(9):1029-33. doi: 10.1038/nm0997-1029.
Leptin is a circulating hormone that is expressed abundantly and specifically in the adipose tissue. It is involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis, as well as the neuroendocrine and reproductive systems. Here, we demonstrate production of leptin by nonadipose tissue, namely, placental trophoblasts and amnion cells from uteri of pregnant women. We show that pregnant women secrete a considerable amount of leptin from the placenta into the maternal circulation as compared with nonpregnant obese women. Leptin production was also detected in a cultured human choriocarcinoma cell line, BeWo cells, and was augmented during the course of forskolin-induced differentiation of cytotrophoblasts into syncytiotrophoblasts. Plasma leptin levels were markedly elevated in patients with hydatidiform mole or choriocarcinoma and were reduced after surgical treatment or chemotherapy. Leptin is also produced by primary cultured human amnion cells and is secreted into the amniotic fluid. The present study provides evidence for leptin as a novel placenta-derived hormone in humans and suggests the physiologic and pathophysiologic significance of leptin in normal pregnancy and gestational trophoblastic neoplasms.
瘦素是一种循环激素，在脂肪组织中大量且特异性地表达。它参与能量稳态的调节，以及神经内分泌和生殖系统的调节。在此，我们证明非脂肪组织，即来自孕妇子宫的胎盘滋养层细胞和羊膜细胞可产生瘦素。我们发现，与未怀孕的肥胖女性相比，孕妇会从胎盘分泌大量瘦素进入母体循环。在培养的人绒毛膜癌细胞系BeWo细胞中也检测到了瘦素的产生，并且在福斯可林诱导细胞滋养层细胞分化为合体滋养层细胞的过程中，瘦素的产生有所增加。葡萄胎或绒毛膜癌患者的血浆瘦素水平显著升高，手术治疗或化疗后则降低。原代培养的人羊膜细胞也能产生瘦素，并分泌到羊水中。本研究为瘦素作为一种新的人类胎盘衍生激素提供了证据，并提示了瘦素在正常妊娠和妊娠滋养细胞肿瘤中的生理和病理生理意义。
