Figure 2.

Potential mechanisms by which leptin may mediate cardiac function. Leptin may exert cardioprotective or maladaptive effects through hemodynamic factors such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, metabolic changes including augmented fatty acid or glucose utilization, reduced cardiac apoptosis, or structural cardiac changes such reduced cardiac lipid accumulation and possibly attenuated myocardial hypertrophy. Increased inflammation may be beneficial in some cardiac conditions (i.e., post-myocardial infarction) depending on the timing and extent of the inflammatory response.