| Summary: | This study aims to investigate the effect of leptin on ovaries in female Wistar rat during development. Rats were divided into two groups: 30 and 60-day-old females. Experimental treated females were administrated 8 μg/100 g body weight intraperitoneal leptin injections daily for 5 days, while controls received the same volume of saline solution. Leptin treatment resulted in a significant decrease in body weight (150.50 ± 4.02 vs 157.78 ± 3.51 g, p < 0.05*) and a very significant decrease in food intake (14.75 ± 0.31 vs 16.33 ± 1.22 g, p < 0.01**) in the 60-day group. Vaginal smears did not reveal an estrus stage after treatment. Histological examination revealed a suspension of ovulation and an acceleration of the luteinization of granulosa cells in adult treated group in relation to the elevation of LH (0.301 ± 0.032 vs 0.189 ± 0.020 IU/L, p < 0.05*) and progesterone (41.60 ± 4.58 vs 33.39 ± 5.13 ng/mL, p > 0.05). For FSH, the difference between controls and treated females was not significant in both ages (p > 0.05). Leptin appears to be involved in the regulation of body weight, folliculogenesis, the ovulatory process and luteogenesis by control of gonadotropic hormones and progesterone at the age of 60 days but not at 30 days, when leptin receptors are probably not expressed yet.
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