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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Hypertension. 2014 Aug;64(2):215–221. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.00920

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of the role of leptin and insulin in linking obesity and hypertension. Excess adiposity in obesity increases the circulating levels of leptin and insulin. This is associated with preserved ability of leptin and insulin to increase renal and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), respectively. These sympathetic effects of leptin and insulin require PI3K and MC4R signaling in the brain. Actions of leptin and insulin promote excess sympathetic discharge leading to hypertension. On the other hand, the ability of leptin and insulin to regulate metabolic functions is diminished in obesity.