Neonatal exposure to leptin reduces glucose tolerance in adult mice

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of leptin treatment in mouse neonates on glucose metabolism in adulthood.

Methods: Leptin was administered subcutaneously to normally nourished neonates, from 5.5 to 10.5 days of age, to mimic the premature surge observed in neonates undernourished in utero. At 15-16 weeks of age, we measured blood glucose or insulin levels after the intraperitoneal administration of glucose or insulin.

Results: After the intraperitoneal administration of glucose, the levels of blood glucose, but not insulin, in adult mice that received the neonatal leptin treatment were significantly higher than that of those which received vehicle control. After the intraperitoneal administration of insulin, the levels of blood glucose in adult mice that underwent neonatal leptin treatment were significantly higher than that of those which received vehicle control.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the premature leptin surge plays an essential role, as a programming signal during the early neonatal period, as well as in the developmental origins of impaired insulin sensitivity.