[The role of leptin in human reproduction]

The article reviews the current literature about leptin, a hormone produced mainly in the adipose tissue, in terms of its role in reproduction. The structure of leptin, its biological activity as well as its influence on secretion of their hormones has been discussed. The leptin concentrations during the ovulatory cycle, pregnancy puerperium and assisted reproduction have been presented. It has been suggested that leptin may have an advantageous effect not only on oocyte and zygote development in the early stages, but also on the process of implantation and therefore its evaluation may be useful for the clinical determination of embryo quality in IVF-ET program.