Levels of serum leptin and their correlations with C-reactive protein, TNF-α and IL-6 in children with septicemia

Abstract:

Objective The hormone leptin is believed to be an important component of the anti-inflammatory cascade. The serum leptin levels were measured as to evaluate whether the levels correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in children with septicemia. Methods The fasting serum levels of leptin, CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 were measured in 17 children with septicemia and 15 healthy children. Results The serum leptin levels in children with septicemia were significantly higher than those in healthy children (P< 0.01). In the children with septicemia, there were significant correlations between serum leptin levels and CRP levels (r= 0.647, P< 0.01) as well as TNF-α levels (r= 0.596, P< 0.05), while no correlation was found between serum leptin and IL-6 levels (r= 0.250, P> 0.05). Conclusions Leptin could be an acute phase reactant in bacterial infection and could be involved in anti-inflammatory response in children with septicemia.