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leptin

American  
[lep-tin] / ˈlɛp tɪn /

noun

  1. a hormone that is thought to suppress appetite and speed up metabolism.


leptin British  
/ ˈlɛptɪn /

noun

  1. a protein, produced by fat cells in the body, that acts on the brain to regulate the amount of additional fat laid down in the body

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

leptin Scientific  
/ lĕp′tĭn′ /
  1. A peptide hormone and neurotransmitter produced by fat cells and involved in the regulation of appetite.


Etymology

Origin of leptin

1995–2000; < Greek leptós small, thin + -in 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Blood tests also revealed meaningful improvements in markers linked to inflammation and immune function, including reduced levels of leptin and PAI-1.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026

This is because the leptin signal shares a signalling pathway with insulin.

From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026

This means that, when we eat too quickly, we ingest more than we actually need – leptin does not have enough time to kick in and tell us that we have had enough.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2024

For the first factor, the researchers used mice genetically lacking a leptin receptor.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024

“Your leptin levels go down, and when leptin goes down, a signal goes to the brain that you don’t have enough fat to survive.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

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