Effect of leptin on aortic dissection

The most important clinical features of aortic dissection (AD) are its acute onset, rapid progress, and high fatality rate. The exact pathogenesis of AD is unclear, and the focus of current research on the mechanism of AD has been primarily on hypertension and changes in metalloproteinases, among which leptin plays an important role. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of leptin on AD. We conducted a computerized literature search on animal studies related to leptin and dissecting aortic aneurysm in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and other databases from their inception to present. Meta-analysis was conducted to compare the changes in aortic diameter, aortic dilatation, and the incidence of AD in mice under the local intervention of leptin or leptin antagonist (LepA). A total of four studies were included, involving five batches of animal experiments. According to the results of the meta-analysis, the increase in local leptin content led to the enlargement of aortic diameter (relative risk [RR] = 0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09 – 0.27; P < 0.0001) and increased aortic dilatation (RR = 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01 – 0.22; P < 0.0001). This meta-analysis showed that local leptin administration increased the aortic diameter and aortic dilatation. However, due to high heterogeneity between the results, it is difficult to draw a clear conclusion on the effect of leptin on AD.