Leptin Sparks Blood Vessel Growth

A biochemist and her colleagues report on page 1683 that leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone made by fat cells, triggers angiogenesis in experimental animals. Just what leptin9s double duty means for the workings of the body isn9t clear yet, but research suggests several intriguing possibilities: that leptin contributes to the formation of the new blood vessels needed when fat increases in volume; that it may spur blood vessel growth in the maturing egg and early embryo and also in healing wounds; and that leptin may be deployed by some cancers to recruit blood vessels.