Oncogenic role of dysregulated leptin signaling in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer

Leptin, a pleiotropic hormone is produced by adipose tissues and plays a critical role in various biological functions. Leptin mediates its function through interaction with specific receptors. The leptin-receptor interaction modulates activation of a number of signaling pathways, such as JAK-STAT, PI3-Kinase-AKT and MAP kinases. Recently, deregulated leptin-mediated signaling has been shown in many cancers including ovarian cancer. A number of studies have shown a link between obesity and carcinogenesis of different cancers via leptin deregulated signaling pathways. In this review, we highlighted the role of deregulated leptin receptor-mediated signaling in the etiology of ovarian cancer.