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Leptin mediates Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced enteritis in mice.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Leptin regulates energy homeostasis and participates in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Although hyperleptinemia is described in experimental colitis, its role in the pathophysiology of enterotoxin-mediated diarrhea and inflammation remains unclear. We examined the role of leptin in the inflammatory diarrhea induced by toxin A from Clostridium difficile, the causative agent of antibiotic-related colitis. METHODS: Toxin A (10 microg) or buffer were administered in ileal loops of leptin-deficient (ob/ob), leptin-resistant (db/db), or wild-type mice and enterotoxic responses were measured. RESULTS: In toxin A-treated wild-type mice, circulating leptin and corticosterone levels were increased compared with buffer-injected animals. Toxin A also stimulated increased mucosal expression of the Ob-Rb at the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein level. Ob/ob and db/db mice were partially protected against toxin A-induced intestinal secretion and inflammation, and this effect was reversed by leptin administration in ob/ob, but not db/db, mice. Basal- and toxin A-stimulated plasma corticosterone levels in ob/ob and db/db mice were higher compared with toxin A-treated wild-type mice. To assess whether the effect of leptin in intestinal inflammation is mediated by corticosteroids we performed adrenalectomy experiments in db/db and wild-type mice. Our results suggested that the diminished intestinal response to toxin A in db/db mice was related only in part to increased levels of corticosteroids. CONCLUSIONS: Leptin plays an important role in regulating the severity of enterotoxin-mediated intestinal secretion and inflammation by activating both corticosteroid-dependent and -independent mechanisms.[1]References
- Leptin mediates Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced enteritis in mice. Mykoniatis, A., Anton, P.M., Wlk, M., Wang, C.C., Ungsunan, L., Blüher, S., Venihaki, M., Simeonidis, S., Zacks, J., Zhao, D., Sougioultzis, S., Karalis, K., Mantzoros, C., Pothoulakis, C. Gastroenterology (2003) [Pubmed]
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