Leptin as a local inflammatory marker in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease acute exacerbation

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease of chronic inflammation affecting the lungs. Leptin is a pleiotropic cytokine thought to play a role in host inflammatory response. Aim This study aimed to investigate the role of leptin in sputum and serum as an inflammatory marker in acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Patients and methods Twenty patients with stable COPD, 20 patients with AECOPD, and 12 controls were included in this study. All participants were males. BMI, routine laboratory investigations, sputum and serum leptin levels, serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured twice in patients with AECOPD (initially and after 7 days of management) and only once in stable patients and controls. Results In patients with patients with AECOPD, there were significant differences between sputum leptin and serum TNF-α, CRP, and leptin levels before and after treatment. Sputum leptin and serum CRP levels were significantly higher in the AECOPD group than other groups. Additionally, serum TNF-α levels were significantly higher in patients with AECOPD than the controls. Insignificant correlation was found between AECOPD and stable groups regarding serum leptin and TNF-α levels. Conclusion The present study highlights the role of leptin hormone as a local inflammatory marker in COPD acute exacerbation either in the sputum or the serum, together with serum TNF-α and CRP. These markers could be useful indicators of COPD acute exacerbation and its response to treatment.