Plasma leptin, insulin, and neuropeptide Y response to feeding in newborn infants

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition Vol. 91; no. 5; p. F389
• Main Authors: Mamì, C, Manganaro, R, Marseglia, L, Saitta, G, Gemelli, M, Martino, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 01-09-2006; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Breast Feeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Energy balance; Humans; Infant, Newborn - blood; Insulin; Insulin - blood; leptin; Leptin - blood; Letter; neuropeptide; Neuropeptide Y - blood; Neuropeptides; Plasma; Rodents; Short term
• ISSN: 1359-2998; 1468-2052
• DOI: 10.1136/adc.2005.088716

In adult humans, plasma leptin concentrations do not change in response to meals, suggesting that, in the regulation of energy balance, leptin works as a long term adiposity signal rather than a short term meal related factor. 4 The discovery that the stomach can also produce and store leptin and release it in response to food intake has suggested that leptin may also have a role in the short term control of energy balance. 5, 6 Recently, it has been shown that the onset of leptin mRNA expression and leptin synthesis in the human stomach takes place around the 11th week and increases sharply in older fetuses. 7 Moreover, in neonatal rats, it has been shown that orally supplied leptin is directly taken up by the immature stomach and may regulate short term feeding. 8 The early post-feeding increase in plasma concentrations of leptin, observed by us, in agreement with Cinaz et al, 2 may suggest that the neonate adsorbs leptin produced by the gastric mucosa.