ABSTRACT
Acute leukemia is a neoplastic proliferation of the hematopoietic progenitor cells, characterized by appearance of immature cells [blasts] in the bone marrow replacing the bone marrow cells resulting in anemia, thrombocytopenia and an outpouring of the neoplastic blasts into the peripheral blood. As leptin acts as a feedback signal from the adipose tissue, it also acts synergistically with stem cell factor [SCF] in promoting proliferation of primitive hematopoietic progenitors in vitro. Leptin has a stimulatory effect on myeloid, lymphoid and erythroid colony formation. And also has proliferative and antiapoptotic activities in leukemic cells, which express the long and short forms of OB-R. The present study selected the patients with acute leukemia to assess and clarify the possible role of leptin in acute leukemia, and also to reveal the relationship between leptin and acute leukemia. This study involved 60 individuals grouped into patient groups [24 ALL cases and 17 AML case] and normal control groups [8 healthy controls for ALL cases and 11 healthy controls for AML cases]. All groups were subjected to estimation of serum leptin level by ELISA. In addition, 9 patients from ALL group, 8 patients from AML group and 9 healthy controls were subjected to B.M. leptin estimation level by ELISA. There was a highly statistical significant decrease in serum leptin level in both ALL and AML patients when compared with normal controls and also, there was a highly statistical significant decrease in B.M. leptin level in ANIL patients when compared with normal controls. As regards to all patients, serum leptin level was positively correlated with B.M. leptin level and height, also B.M. leptin level was positively correlated with hemoglobin and platelet count but negatively correlated with BMI and weight. As regards to all patients, serum leptin level was positively correlated with B.M. leptin level and bone marrow blasts but negatively correlated with hemoglobin, also B.M. leptin level was positively correlated with BMI but negatively correlated with TLC. Leptin alone and in combination with other cytokines has stimulative effects on proliferation of leukemia cells as well as antiapoptotic effects. These findings suggest the possibility that leptin plays roles in the pathophysiology of leukemia