Tehran University of Medical Sciences Acta Medica Iranica 0044-6025 48 5 2010 10 15 300 303 EN Nahid Einollahi Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Nasrin Dashti Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Fariba Nabatchian Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2015 09 28 Leptin, a circulating 16-kd polypeptide consisting of 167 amino acids, appears to be involved in the body weight homeostasis. Moreover leptin plays an important role for the reproductive system, early embryogenesis, and fat metabolism during pregnancy and puberty. Significant correlations have been found between leptin and sexual hormones, which is a cytokine and has hormonal properties. The aim of this study was to determine serum leptin levels during the menstrual cycle, and the association between serum leptin and reproductive hormones in young, healthy Iranian women. 42 healthy women volunteered for the study. They all had regular menstrual cycles, with cycle length varying between 26 and 32 days. None of them used oral contraceptives. All were of normal weight, with body mass index ( BMI) < 25 Kg/m2. Fasting blood samples were collected during the follicular phase, mid cycle and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. FSH and LH were measured with coated tube immunoradiometric assay. Estrogen and progesterone were measured using antibody –coated tubes. Serum Leptin concentration were measured by Leptin (sandwich) ELISA. In menstruating women, serum leptin increased from 13.15+/-1.60 ng/ml in the early follicular phase to 16.57+/-1.68 ng/ml (P<0.01) at the luteal phase. Serum leptin concentration negatively correlated with LH and progesterone (P<0.05). Mean serum leptin levels correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r =0.78, P<0.001). https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/view/4052 https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/download/4052/4027