Abstract

Introduction: Leptin, a hormone secreted by the adipocytes, has a role in the pathogenesis of obesity and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). There are relationships between Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) with Body Mass Index (BMI) and insulin resistance. Increased lipid peroxidation leads to produce MDA in diabetic people. It have been shown  that, there are relationships between leptin and TNF-α ,  IL-6, and MDA,showing that increased lipid peroxidation leads to MDA production in diabetics. This study investigates relationships between serum leptin concentration and inflammatory intermediate and oxidative stress in postmenopausal diabetic women. Materials and Methods: We studied 45 postmenopausal diabetic women and 45 postmenopausal healthy women (controls), aged between 45-60 y and with BMI 25-30 kg/m2. Fasting blood sugar, serum leptin, TNF-α, IL-6, and MDA were determined in postmenopausal diabetics and healthy women, and comparisons were performed using the t test in the diabetic and healthy groups. Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the relations among different variables in two groups. Results: There were non significant correlations between leptin and TNF-α (r=0.2) and IL-6 (r= -0.06) in postmenopausal diabetic women, and also between leptin and MDA (r= 0.04) in postmenopausal diabetic women. Conclusion: There were no significant relationships between serum leptin and TNF-α, IL-6, and MDA in postmenopausal diabetic women. It seems these relationships need to be further clarified in future studies with larger sample sizes.