Evaluation of leptin levels in serum as a biomarker for suicide behavior: systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Objective: We conducted a meta-analysis of case-control studies to determine whether leptin levels in serum contribute to the pathogenesis of suicide behavior.Methods: PubMed, EBSCO and Science Direct databases were used to search for relevant articles published before January 2020. The systematic review included nine case-control studies that measured leptin levels. The standardized mean difference (d) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated in a fixed-effects model and a random-effects model when appropriate.Results: The results of our meta-analysis indicated that individuals with suicide behavior presented reduced levels of leptin (d: −1.80, 95% CI: −2.21 to −01.38 ng/ml, I2 = 0, p(Q) = 0.59). Sensitivity and publication bias analyses confirmed these results.Conclusions: The current meta-analysis suggests that leptin levels might be associated with an increased risk of suicide behavior. However, more studies including larger sample sizes are needed to reach conclusive result.
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Several studies report lower circulating leptin levels in suicidal individuals.
“Several studies report lower circulating leptin levels in suicidal individuals (91)”
From Exploring the neurobiological markers of suicidal behaviors in pediatric population: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as [91]
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- Authors
- González-Castro, T. B., Almeida de la O, P. D. L. A., Tovilla-Zárate, C. A., López-Narváez, M. L., Genis Mendoza, A. D., Juárez-Rojop, I. E., Pérez-Hernández, N., & Rodriguez-Perez, J. M.
- Affiliations
- División Académica de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México;
- División Académica Multidisciplinaria de Comalcalco, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Comalcalco, Tabasco, México;
- Hospital General de Yajalón “Dr. Manuel Velasco Suarez”, Secretaría de Salud, Yajalón, Chiapas, México;
- Laboratorio de Genómica de Enfermedades Psiquiátricas y Neurodegenerativas, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Ciudad de México, México;
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, México
- Venue
- International Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2020-02-28
- Volume
- 131
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 49-55
- ISSN
- 0020-7454 (ISSN-L)
- 1543-5245
- OpenAlex
- W3008445964
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 0.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Keywords
- leptin, suicidal behavior, serum leptin, biomarkers, suicide risk, adipokines, case-control study
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Suicide, Biomarkers, Case-Control Studies, Leptin, Suicidal Ideation
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