Here's the Science abstract:
Early Onset of Reproductive Function in Normal Female
Mice Treated with Leptin
Farid F. Chehab, * Khalid Mounzih, Ronghua Lu, Mary E. Lim
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.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, 505 Parnassus Avenue, San
Francisco, CA 94143-0134, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Henry |
