Leptin in acute coronary syndromes: Has the time come for its use in risk stratification?

Leptin, a recently discovered obesity gene product, is primarily involved in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. Recent observations suggest that leptin has a much broader biological role other than regulation of body weight and energy metabolism. It has been shown that leptin increases sympathetic nerve activity, stimulates generation of reactive oxygen species, induces platelet aggregation and promotes arterial thrombosis, and is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. In this paper, we discussed the role of leptin in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes and its usefulness as a biomarker for risk stratification in acute coronary syndromes.