Rolactin and leptin : inter-relation in pituitary adenoma

Abstract EN

Background : The pituitary adenoma, prolactinoma has various biologic behaviors with different endocrinological and neurological manifestations.

Leptin, a peptide hormone of obesity gene, has recently been demonstrated in human pituitary.

It has been observed that, weight gain is associated with prolactinoma and weight loss occurs with normalization of prolactin level.

So we aimed to study serum leptin and prolactin in patients with prolactinoma and investigate their relation to body weight, tumor type (micro or macroadenoma) and invasion to the surrounding structures.

Methods : The study included 25 patients with prolactinoma and 10 healthy controls.

Seventeen patients were females and 8 were males, 18 had microadenoma and 7 had macroadenoma.

All patients underwent clinical evaluation with assessment of body mass index (BM1), serum prolactin and leptin measurement, MRI and visual field assessment.

Invasion of the tumor was assessed by both MRI and visual field examination.

Results : Prolactin level increased in macroadenoma > microadenoma (mean value ± SD 442.85 ± 258.8 vs 153.33 ± 33.95ng / ml), in invasive > non- invasive tumor(510.0 ± 283.72 vs 165.5 ± 49.97 ng / ml) and in males > females(370 ±280.2 ng / mlj.

Prolactin level was correlated with age of the patients and tumor size but didn't correlate with BMI.

BM1 was increased in prolactinoma (31.11± 1.89 in female patients, 29.56 ± 1.59 in male patients and 24.3 ± 1.76 kg/m2 in controls).

Serum leptin was elevated in prolactinoma patients (17.14 ± 5.55 in macroadenoma, 17.44 ±2.17 in microadenoma vs 7.9 ±3.17ng / ml in controls) and in females more than males(18.88 ± 2.73 vs 14.12 ± 1.82 ng / ml), but didn't correlate to age of the patients, tumor size or prolactin level.lt was significantly correlated to BMI.

Conclusion.'Weight gain and increase BMI were associated with prolactinoma regardless of the mass of tumor and prolactin level, but related to serum leptin level.

While manifestations of tissue invasion was related to prolactin and not leptin levels.