Role of Selective Leptin Resistance in Diet-Induced

Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that plays a key role in the regulation of body weight through its actions on appetite and metabolism. Leptin also increases sym-pathetic nerve activity (SNA) and blood pressure. We tested the hypothesis that diet-induced obesity is asso-ciated with resistance to the metabolic actions of leptin but preservation of its renal SNA and arterial pressure effects, leading to hypertension. Mice were fed a high-fat diet for 10 weeks to induce moderate obesity. The decrease in food intake and body weight induced by intraperitoneal or intracerebroventricular leptin was significantly attenuated in the obese mice. Regional SNA responses to leptin were differentially altered in diet-induced obese mice. Renal SNA response to leptin was preserved, whereas lumbar and brown adipose tis