Gender-dependent differences in the response of human adipocytes to leptin lipolytic action

Lipid turnover and deposition is under the control of nutritional, developmental, metabolic and neuroendocrine influences. The aim of this investigation was to study whether there is a gender-dependent difference in the effect of leptin in lipolytic activity of freshly isolated human fat cells. The lipolytic rate was assessed through the glycerol release after incubation with leptin at different concentrations ranging from 10(-6) to 10(-12) M in isolated adipocytes obtained from male and female omental adipose tissue. The relative ED(50) concentration of leptin was found to be 4.42 x 10(-10) M in adipocytes from men and 3.08 x 10(-12) M in fat cells from women. The presence of leptin at concentrations of 10(-12) to 10(-6) M in the incubation medium of isolated fat cells significantly increased glycerol release when compared with basal levels, being always higher (8-15%) in female adipocytes when compared with male specimens for all tested concentrations when expressed on a fat content relative basis. This study demonstrates gender differences regarding the lipolytic actions of leptin, which may help the pharmacological application of leptin-based therapies.