DO LEPTIN RECEPTORS PLAY A FUNCTIONAL-ROLE IN THE ENDOCRINE PANCREAS

It was recently speculated that leptin may exert a direct inhibitory e ffect upon insulin release from the pancreatic B-cell. This proposal m eets. however, with two objections. First, although the message for le ptin receptors is indeed detected in rat pancreatic islets. the short form of this receptor, for which no signalling function is known, repr esents thr major species present in islet cells. Second, in the isolat ed perfused rat pancreas, leptin (1.0 nM) fails io affect the release of either insulin or glucagon. (C) 1996 Academic Press