Relationship between leptin and chronic inflammatory state in uremic patients.

Objective: To explore the relation between high leptin and inflammation in uremic patients.

Patients and Methods: A group of 73 uremic patients in dialysis center of our Department were assigned as uremic group; a group of 30 healthy persons who were examined over the same period were regarded as control group. The level of body mass index (BMI), serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, and the neutrophils phagocytosis function were compared in two groups.

Results: BMI and IL-10 of uremic group were lower than the control group. The levels of SCr, BUN, leptin, TNF-α, IL-6 of uremic group were higher than the control group (p < 0.05). The neutrophils phagocytosis function in uremic group significantly decreases, compared to control group (p < 0.05). Using one-way ANOVA analysis, serum leptin was positively correlated with the level of TNF-α, IL-6 (r = 0.58, 1.00 respectively, p < 0.05), and was negatively correlated with the level of IL-10 (r = -0.45, p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The high level of leptin and correlated inflammation were involved in the initiation and development of uremia; moreover, leptin was an important mediator.