Starvation in the Midst of Plenty: Reflections on the History and Biology of Insulin and Leptin.

Starvation in the Midst of Plenty: Reflections on the History and Biology of Insulin and Leptin. Endocr Rev. 2018 Oct 23;: Authors: Flier JS Abstract Insulin and leptin are critical metabolic hormones that play essential but distinct roles in regulating the physiologic switch between the fed and starved states. The discoveries of insulin and leptin, in 1922 and 1994 respectively, arose out of radically different scientific environments. Despite the dearth of scientific tools available in 1922, insulin's discovery rapidly launched a life-saving therapy for what we now know to be Type I diabetes, and continually enhanced insulin therapeutics are now effectively applied to both major forms of this increasingly prevalent disease. In contrast, while the discovery of leptin provided deep insights into the regulation of CNS energy balance circuits, and an effective therapy for an extremely rare form of obesity, its therapeutic impact beyond that has been surprisingly limited. Despite an enormous accumulated body of information, many important questions remain unanswered about the mechanisms of action and role in disease of both hormones. In addition, though many decades apart, both discoveries reveal the complexities inherent to scientific collaboration and the assignment of credit, even when the efforts are spectacularly successful. PMID: 30357355 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Endocrine Reviews - Category: Endocrinology Tags: Endocr Rev Source Type: research