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Control of body weight versus tumorigenesis by concerted action of leptin and estrogen

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Abstract

Improper body weight control is most critical to the development of morbid obesity, which is often associated with alternation in leptin (Ob) signaling in the central nervous system. Leptin acts to control fat mass through the regulation of both food intake and energy expenditure. In addition to the primary action in metabolic signaling, leptin has also been found to play a role in reproduction and even in breast tumorigenesis in obese patients. Interestingly, estrogen, a sex hormone, has also been recognized as another crucial factor for energy balance and breast tumorigenesis in obese subjects. Obesity in postmenopausal women has been associated with higher risk of breast cancer. There are substantial data in the literature on the connection of estrogen and leptin pathways in development of obesity and breast cancer. In this review, we discuss the cross-talk of leptin and estrogen signaling pathways in body weight control and breast cancer development.

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to apologize for not citing many other papers due to space restriction. Work in authors’ laboratory has been supported by American Diabetes Association (ADA-1-13-BS-048) to G.S.F.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China

    Zhao He

  2. Synergistic Innovation Center for Food Safety and Nutrition, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China

    Zhao He

  3. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, and Molecular Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0864, USA

    Gen-Sheng Feng

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He, Z., Feng, GS. Control of body weight versus tumorigenesis by concerted action of leptin and estrogen. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 14, 339–345 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-013-9277-1

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