Effects of prolonged leptin infusion on rat pituitary-adrenocortical function

Compelling evidence suggests that a regulatory loop between leptin and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is operative, where ACTH inhibits leptin secretion by adipose tissue and in turn leptin increases expression and secretion of ACTH. However, conflicting findings have been obtained in vivo on the acute and chronic effects of leptin on the HPA axis. Adult female Wistar rats, kept in metabolic cages, were intraperitoneally infused for 2, 4, 8 or 16 days with leptin (10 nmol/kg · 24 h); control animals were infused with the vehicle only. The rate of body-weight gain was similar in control and leptin-infused rats. At day 16 of treatment relative pituitary weight was higher and relative adrenal weight smaller in leptin-infused than control rats. Pituitary ACTH concentration gradually decreased with the duration of treatment, and the drop was significantly higher in leptin-infused than control rats. During the entire experimental period the blood level of aldosterone was similar in both groups of rats. Conversely, at days 2 and 4 of treatment the blood concentration of corticosterone was lower in leptin-infused than in control rats, which at these times displayed elevated levels of circulating corticosterone. Taken together, these findings allow us to conclude that in the rat the prolonged infusion of low doses of leptin i) primarily depresses pituitary ACTH production, the effect being probably mediated by the hypothalamus; and ii) inhibits corticosterone response to the stress evoked by placing of animals in the metabolic cages.