Serum leptin concentration in patients after heart transplantation.

Leptin is primarily produced by adipocytes but its receptors are expressed in a variety of tissues including the heart. Elevated plasma leptin levels predict acute myocardial infarction and it has been shown as acute phase reactant and a risk factor for coronary heart disease. The present study was undertaken to answer the question whether there exists a relationship or not, between serum leptin levels and grades of acute cellular rejection confirmed by elective endomyocardial biopsies in stable patients after orthotopic heart transplantation. We observed higher serum leptin levels compared with reference values, regardless of histopathologic biopsy findings studied. There was a positive correlation between serum leptin concentrations and body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. The elevated leptin levels found in heart transplant recipients could be due to the result of steroid therapy. These results point the need for further studies to explain the leptin role in heart transplant recipients.