Body mass index of male and female Wistar rats following administration of leptin hormone after a dietary regime

Introduction: Obesity is a problem affecting people of all ages and socioeconomic status. Leptin hormone (LH), a product of the obesity gene, is a key regulator of feeding and energy expenditure. Aim: The study is aimed at determining the effect of LH on body mass index (BMI) in Wistar rats after a diet regime. Materials and Methods: Forty rats (male [M], n = 20; female [F], n = 20), aged 9 weeks and weighing 77.2–123.0 g, were randomly divided into two Groups A (M) and B (F) and further divided into four subgroups of n = 5. They were maintained ad libitum on different diet and water for 10 weeks. Group 1; control (standard rat feed), Group 2 (high fat diet), Group 3 (protein diet), and Group 4 (carbohydrate diet). BMI was calculated weekly for 10 weeks (pretest). LH was injected for 2 weeks; the BMI was then calculated (posttest). Paired t-test was used to analyze the differences between the BMI pre- and post-test periods and also to analyze for sexual dimorphism for the pre- and post-test periods. Level of significance was at P 0.05) in the BMI for the pre- and post-test period and no sexual dimorphism for BMI during the pretest period. However, there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) and sexual dimorphism for BMI during the posttest period. Conclusion: This result implies that the LH is more effective in the male gender than the female when considering BMI and hence may reduce the risk associated with obesity.