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World J Rheumatol. Mar 12, 2016; 6(1): 9-15
Published online Mar 12, 2016. doi: 10.5499/wjr.v6.i1.9
Role of leptin in the progression of psoriatic, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis
Jessica Mounessa, Iryna Voloshyna, Amy D Glass, Allison B Reiss
Jessica Mounessa, Iryna Voloshyna, Amy D Glass, Allison B Reiss, Winthrop Research Institute and Department of Medicine, Winthrop-University Hospital, SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine, Mineola, NY 11501, United States
Author contributions: All the authors equally contributed to this work.
Supported by The Elizabeth Daniell Research Fund.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors of this article have no conflicts-of-interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article, which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Allison B Reiss, MD, Winthrop Research Institute and Department of Medicine, Winthrop-University Hospital, SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine, 101 Mineola Boulevard, Suite 4-004, Mineola, NY 11501, United States. areiss@winthrop.org
Telephone: +1-516-6633455 Fax: +1-516-6634710
Received: May 25, 2015
Peer-review started: May 26, 2015
First decision: June 18, 2015
Revised: July 9, 2015
Accepted: November 3, 2015
Article in press: November 4, 2015
Published online: March 12, 2016
Processing time: 291 Days and 4.7 Hours
Abstract

Leptin, an adipokine responsible for body weight regulation, may be involved in pathological processes related to inflammation in joint disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). These arthropathies have been associated with a wide range of systemic and inflammatory conditions including cardiovascular disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. As a potent mediator of immune responses, leptin has been found in some studies to play a role in these disorders. Furthermore, current potent biologic treatments effectively used in PsA including ustekinumab (an interleukin 12/23 blocker) and adalimumab (a tumor necrosis factor-alpha blocker also used in RA) have been found to increase leptin receptor expression in human macrophages. This literature review aims to further investigate the role leptin may play in the disease activity of these arthropathies.

Keywords: Psoriatic arthritis; Rheumatoid arthritis; Leptin; Ustekinumab; Tumor necrosis factor-alpha

Core tip: Leptin is an adipokine well known for its role in metabolism and body weight regulation. More recently, it has gained recognition as a potential contributor to the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders. Numerous studies reveal elevated leptin levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Similarly, a link between severity of osteoarthritis and leptin levels has been suggested. At the same time, little research on the role of leptin in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis has been conducted. Further investigation on these relationships could provide for better-targeted treatment of these rheumatic diseases and their systemic manifestations.