Leptin concentrations in precocious puberty or untimely puberty with and without GnRH analogue therapy

Nutritional status and body composition influence the development and maintenance of reproductive competence in mammals. It has been suggested that leptin concentrations communicate nutritional status to the neuroendocrine reproductive axis. To determine the interrelationship between circulating gonadotropin and leptin concentrations, leptin concentrations were measured in 39 children treated for GnRH dependent precocious or untimely puberty. Leptin concentrations were obtained during pubertal suppression with GnRH analogue therapy and during spontaneous pubertal gonadotropin secretion. The status of gonadotropin secretion (suppressed vs not suppressed) was verified by simultaneous GnRH stimulation tests and sex steroid concentrations. Leptin concentrations were similar at both time-points and correlated only with body mass index. Thus, no relationship was apparent between circulating concentrations of gonadotropins, sex steroids, and leptin.