Table 1.
Biological effects of leptin on the different cell populations of the innate and the adaptive immune system
Cell typeEffect of leptinReference
Innate immune system 
Neutrophils Stimulation of chemotaxis and release of oxygen radicals, inhibition of apoptosis; indirect activation via monocyte-derived TNF-α Caldefie-Chezet et al., 2003; Bruno et al., 2005; Zarkesh-Esfahani et al., 2004  
Macrophages Activation of phagocytosis, secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and leukotriene synthesis Loffreda et al., 1998; Mancuso et al., 2002  
Natural killer cells Control of differentiation, proliferation and cytotoxicity Tian et al., 2002  
Dendritic cells Enhancement of cell maturation, cytokine production and ability to induce CD4+ T cell proliferation Moraes-Vieira et al., 2014  
Adaptive immune system 
B cells Induction of differentiation and IgM production Papathanassoglou et al., 2006; Jennbacken et al., 2013  
Naïve T cells Stimulation of proliferation and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines Lord et al., 2002  
Memory T cells Growth inhibition Lord et al., 2002  
Th1/Th17 Promotion of cell proliferation, survival, and cytokine release Papathanassoglou et al., 2006  
T reg Inhibition of proliferation and homeostasis De Rosa et al., 2007  
Cell typeEffect of leptinReference
Innate immune system 
Neutrophils Stimulation of chemotaxis and release of oxygen radicals, inhibition of apoptosis; indirect activation via monocyte-derived TNF-α Caldefie-Chezet et al., 2003; Bruno et al., 2005; Zarkesh-Esfahani et al., 2004  
Macrophages Activation of phagocytosis, secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and leukotriene synthesis Loffreda et al., 1998; Mancuso et al., 2002  
Natural killer cells Control of differentiation, proliferation and cytotoxicity Tian et al., 2002  
Dendritic cells Enhancement of cell maturation, cytokine production and ability to induce CD4+ T cell proliferation Moraes-Vieira et al., 2014  
Adaptive immune system 
B cells Induction of differentiation and IgM production Papathanassoglou et al., 2006; Jennbacken et al., 2013  
Naïve T cells Stimulation of proliferation and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines Lord et al., 2002  
Memory T cells Growth inhibition Lord et al., 2002  
Th1/Th17 Promotion of cell proliferation, survival, and cytokine release Papathanassoglou et al., 2006  
T reg Inhibition of proliferation and homeostasis De Rosa et al., 2007  

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