[Changes in serum leptin levels in patients with surgically induced stress responses]

To explore the effect of operative trauma induced stress responses on serum leptin levels.

Serum samples of patients who had undergone resection of hepatic tumors or cholecystectomy were collected, and highly sensitive radioimmunoassay and enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) were used to determine serum levels of leptin, granulocyte-clone stimulating factor (G-CSF), C-reactive protein (CRP) and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) in the blood of these patients.

Compared with self-control before operation, serum leptin levels decreased slightly right after an abdominal operation (T0), it reached the highest level 1 day after operation (T1), and began to decrease from 2 days (T2) to 4 days after operation (T4), but the level was still higher than that before operation. Serum leptin levels of patients undergoing laparoscopic operation showed no significant difference when compared with that of laparotomy patients. G-SF levels decreased significantly after operation in both groups, and didn't recover to the levels before operation from T1 to T4. CRP levels slightly decreased in both groups at T0, but increased significantly higher than the levels before operation from T1 to T4. ACTH levels of decreased significantly in laparotomy patients from T0 to T1, and began to recover on T2, while that of laparoscopic operation patients showed no significant difference before and after operation.

Serum leptin levels of patients increase significantly and constantly subsequent to operative trauma induced stress responses, but this change has no correlation with that of CRP, G-SF and ACTH.