Diabetologie und Stoffwechsel 2014; 9 - P94
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1374951

Effects of leptin on macrophages in vivo

A Hoffmann 1, S Kralisch 1, 2, S Dühring 1, T Ebert 1, 2, F Jeromin 3, N Klöting 1, 2, M Blüher 1, R Burkhard 3, M Fasshauer 1, 2
  • 1University of Leipzig, Department for Endocrinology and Nephrology, Leipzig, Germany
  • 2University of Leipzig, IFB Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig, Germany
  • 3University of Leipzig, Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Leipzig, Germany

Aims: Leptin directly contributes to the pathophysiology of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to elucidate the impact of leptin on macrophage physiology since macrophages play a role in both disease states.

Methods: Leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) female mice on a C57BL/6J background were treated with 1 mg/g body weight/d, murine recombinant leptin or saline for 8 weeks starting at 9 weeks of age. Leptin-induced differential gene expression in peritoneal macrophages (PM) derived by peritoneal lavage was determined by microarray analysis.

Results: As expected, treatment with recombinant leptin dramatically improved insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia in ob/ob mice. More than 4.000 genes were significantly regulated in PM derived from leptin-treated mice as compared to saline-treated controls after controlling for multiple testing. Interestingly, M2 polarization marker including Chi3l3, Fizz-1, arginase-1, Mgl-1, and Mgl-2 were significantly up-regulated in PM from leptin-treated animals as compared to controls.

Conclusion: Leptin might induce M2 macrophage polarization. Validation of these data needs to be performed.