leptin and Alopecia

In addition to genetics and androgens, novel factors could play a role in androgenetic alopecia (AGA). This study aims to investigate the association between plasma leptin level with the risk and severity of AGA in men. Forty-eight subjects were enrolled including 29 AGA and 19 non-AGA subjects. The plasma leptin level was significantly higher in AGA subjects, compared to non-AGA subjects (4.45 vs 2.76 ng/mL, P<.05). A higher plasma leptin levels were positively correlated with the risk of developing AGA in multivariate logistic analysis (odds ratio=2.77, P<.05). Leptin from the circulation might impact the development of AGA.

Topics: Adipocytes; Adult; Alopecia; Androgens; Body Mass Index; Case-Control Studies; Hair Follicle; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Leptin; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Obesity; Odds Ratio; Risk; Skin; Young Adult

Humans live, eat, and become overweight/obese in complex surroundings where there are many available food choices. Prenatal exposure to poor food choices predisposes offspring to increased negative health risks, including obesity. Many animal experiments have analyzed intergenerational body weight parameters in an environment without food choices, which may not be directly translatable to the human food environment. In this study, offspring from mothers with a defined high-fat diet (HFD) or low-fat diet (LFD) were arbitrarily assigned to either an exclusively LFD or HFD or to a diet where they have a choice between LFD and HFD (choice diet). Offspring displayed negative outcomes of increased body weight, body fat, serum leptin, and blood glucose levels when given the choice diet compared with offspring on the LFD. Conversely, improved energy expenditure was found for offspring given the choice diet compared with offspring from HFD dams given LFD. In addition, maternal diet-specific influences on offspring metabolic parameters were identified, especially in offspring from HFD dams, including positive outcomes of reduced leptin in LFD offspring, reduced corticosterone and cholesterol levels in HFD offspring, and increased exercise levels in choice offspring, as well as the negative outcome of increased calorie intake in LFD offspring from HFD dams. This defined model can now be used as the basis for future studies to characterize the cycle of inter- and intragenerational obesity and whether more realistic diet environments, especially those including choice, can mitigate phenotype.

Topics: Alopecia; Animal Feed; Animals; Body Composition; Body Weight; Corticosterone; Dietary Fats; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Eating; Energy Intake; Energy Metabolism; Female; Food Preferences; Glucose Tolerance Test; Insulin; Leptin; Lipids; Maternal-Fetal Relations; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Motor Activity; Pregnancy

Hyperandrogenism in postmenopausal women is due to ovarian hyperthecosis or an androgen-secreting ovarian/adrenal tumor. Making the correct diagnosis might be complicated due to the possible existence of an adrenal neoplasm secreting testosterone only, ectopic ovarian tissue or ectopic luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin receptors in the adrenals, as well as the relatively low sensitivity of imaging techniques (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) and vein catheterization for this type of pathology. We present the case of an obese postmenopausal woman with metabolic syndrome, hyperandrogenism (high testosterone levels, suppressed gonadotropins), adrenal macronodular hyperplasia and Leydig-cell ovarian tumor. At presentation she had low leptin levels despite high body fat content. After a catheter study left adrenalectomy was carried out but hyperandrogenism persisted. Then, bilateral oophorectomy with hysterectomy was performed and a small Leydig-cell tumor was found in the left ovary. Postoperatively, testosterone and gonadotropin levels were normal (postmenopausal) and leptin level became elevated without change in body mass index or body fat content. In conclusion, we speculate that low leptin levels in obese hyperandrogenic women might be a marker for androgen-secreting tumors.

Topics: Adrenal Glands; Alopecia; Biomarkers; Female; Hirsutism; Humans; Hyperandrogenism; Hyperplasia; Leptin; Leydig Cell Tumor; Metabolic Syndrome; Middle Aged; Obesity; Ovarian Neoplasms

The improved prognosis and increased expected lifetime among long-term survivors of childhood malignancies have made these patients especially sensitiveto the late toxicity of cancer therapy and prone to secondary malignancies. Recently, new strategies aiming to protect against cancer treatment toxicity have been developed, including the drug amifostine (Ethyol), which is suggested to protect normal tissues from the toxic effects of radiation and cytotoxic agents. In the present study, the possible protective effect of amifostine against toxicity induced by a single injection of doxorubicin (3 mg/kg) in immature rats was evaluated. Specifically, we evaluated the protection against long-term toxicity and the effects of amifostine on growing immature tissues. Amifostine (50-200 mg/kg) given 15 min before doxorubicin had a significant protective effect against doxorubicin-induced early alopecia in young rats. Significant protection against cataract formation was obtained by the use of low-dose amifostine (50 mg/kg). However, amifostine did not protect young rats against the late toxic effect of doxoubicin on linear growth, body weight, plasma leptin levels, and heart or testicular tissue. Worrisome, and in contrast to earlier studies in adult rats, an increased doxorubicin toxicity actually was observed and mortality was increased when the higher doses of amifostine (100-200 mg/kg) were used. The present results suggest that more data from growing immature animal models are needed to analyze the safety of amifostine treatment and its mechanisms of action before wider clinical use of this drug in pediatric cancer patients is recommended.

Topics: Age Factors; Alopecia; Amifostine; Animals; Animals, Suckling; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Body Weight; Cardiomyopathies; Cataract; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Doxorubicin; Female; Heart; Leptin; Male; Myocardium; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Testicular Diseases; Testis; Testosterone