Lay Summary

Proposal No.  IBD-0001
Principal Investigator:  Giamila Fantuzzi, Ph.D.
Applicant Organization:  University of Colorado (Denver, U.S.A.)
Project Title:  The leptin receptor:  Role in inflammatory bowel disease 
Period of Award:  January 1, 2002 - February 29, 2004

This project will explore the role of leptin and its receptors in inflammation of the bowel.  Leptin is a protein produced by fat cells.  It has been studied primarily in relation to obesity.  Leptin exerts its effects by binding to its receptor, called OB-Rb, which is present on the surface of many types of cells.  Besides regulating appetite, leptin also modulates immunity and inflammation.

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), immune cells and inflammatory mediators are responsible for initiation and chronicity of disease.  Therefore, we suspect that leptin could be an important factor regulating inflammation in IBD.  We will study the role of leptin in experimental models of IBD in mice.  To study the role of leptin and its receptor in IBD, we will use genetically modified mice that do not produce the leptin receptor.  By using two different experimental models of intestinal inflammation, we will induce colitis in mice that do not produce OB-Rb and study their response.  This project could help us to understand the complex network regulating the pathogenesis of IBD.  The information gained could form the basis for new therapeutic approaches to IBD using leptin or blockers of its receptor.