ABSTRACT
Obesity is an increasing health problem in industrialized Western societies. In 1994, the adipose tissue-specific obese (ob) gene and its peptide product leptin were discovered. The new discovery of leptin has prompted a multitude of studies on its important function in regulating body weight, and has opened a whole new field of research. Although the anorectic action of leptin on the body has been reviewed extensively, our knowledge of its physiological role(s) is still incomplete and is an ever-growing subject. There is now much interest being generated in the interaction of leptin with other peripheral and neuroendocrine mechanisms to control growth, reproduction, adrenal and thyroid function, and the immunological response. The possibility of the leptin hormonal system as a target for the basis of new slimming drugs is also a factor under consideration and is generating a lot of current interest. This review will attempt to give a summary of the main physiological actions of leptin in the body and to explore the possibility of the leptin feedback system being used as a basis for the development of new drugs to combat obesity.
