The significance of serum leptin levels in patients with COPD

Objective:To explore the significant of serum leptin levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods:Ninty-five patients with COPD were devided into two groups based on body composition assessment(BCA) methods:group with malnutrition,group with normal-nutrtion.Serum leptin and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α) concentrations were measured by ELISA in 95 patients with COPD and 30 age-matched healthy contrals.The difference of nutritional parameters between COPD patients and healthy controls were compared and the correlation of serum leptin and others parameters was analysed.Results:The nutritional status was significantly worse in the COPD patients than in the healthy controls.The rate of nutritional depletion was higher in COPD patients than in healthy controls(47.37% versus 0%).In COPD patients with malnutrition,COPD patients with normal-nutrtion and healthy contrals,serum leptin levels were gradually increase:(5.34±3.31)ng/ml,(9.81±5.85)ng/ml,(14.12±9.39) ng/ml respectively;and TNF-α were gradually decreased:(102.11±89.71)pg/ml,(31.85±30.63)pg/ml,(6.04±4.06) pg/ml respectively(P0.05).Circulating leptin levels did correlate well with weight,body mass index(BMI) and so on,but not with TNF-α in the COPD patients.Conclusion:Leptin in a nutritional-related peptide.It is regulated physiologically in stable period of COPD patients.Circulating leptin is independent of the TNF-α system.