Leptin modulates the daily rhythmicity of blood glucose

Leptin may affect central and/or peripheral timing, in addition to its well-known regulatory effects on metabolism. Here, we investigated whether leptin can impact rhythmicity of blood glucose and lipids. For that purpose, daily variations of blood glucose and lipids were compared between mice lacking functional leptin receptor (<i>db/db</i>) or deficient for leptin (<i>ob/ob</i>) and controls (<i>db/+</i> and <i>ob/+</i>, respectively). Next, we investigated whether timed treatment with exogenous leptin in <i>ob/ob</i> mice could modulate blood glucose rhythm. Mice with defective leptin signaling (<i>db/db</i> and <i>ob/ob</i>) have the same phase-opposed timing in glycemia (11 and 9 h shift, respectively) compared to respective controls. By contrast, the phase of plasma lipids rhythms (e.g. triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acid – NEFA, high density lipoprotein – HDL, low density lipoprotein – LDL) remained essentially unchanged, whatever the genotype. Daily injections of leptin (1 mg/kg) in <i>ob/ob</i> mice during nighttime or daytime led to 1–2 h phase-advances of blood glucose rhythm and glucose arrhythmicity, respectively. These injections induced additional phase-dependent shifts of feeding rhythm (ranging from 2.6 h phase-delays to 2.6 h advances). The present study reveals a chronomodulatory role of leptin, and highlights that rhythmic leptin can be a determinant of daily variations of blood glucose and food intake, though not for lipids.