Leptin resistance has recently been confirmed not only in animal obese models but in human obesity. Evidence is rapidly emerging that suggests that activation of histamine signaling in the hypothalamus may have substantial anti-obesity and antidiabetic actions, particularly in leptin-resistant states. To address this issue, effects of central, chronic treatment with histamine on food intake, adiposity, and energy expenditure were examined using leptin-resistant obese and diabetic mice. Infusion of histamine (0.05 µmol · g body wt -1 · day -1 ) into the lateral cerebroventricle (i.c.v.) for 7 successive days reduced food intake and body weight significantly in both diet-induced obesity (DIO) and db/db mice. Histamine treatment reduced body fat weight, ob gene expression, and serum leptin concentration more in the model mice than in pair-fed controls. O besity, a common metabolic disorder characterized by chronic imbalance in energy intake and energy expenditure, is a serious risk factor for type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and other common diseases (1). The pathophysiological basis of obesity, however, is poorly understood. Since discovery of the ob gene and its encoded protein leptin (2), it has been understood that leptin acts as a hormone at the level of the hypothalamus to inhibit food intake and favor energy expenditure (3-5). The uncoupling protein (UCP) family, consisting of inner mitochondrial proteins (6-9), is known to contribute to improvement of energy imbalance resulting from energy insufficiency or excess (7,10). Gene expression of the UCP family is highly responsive to neural and humoral factors (10-14), particularly leptin (14). Serum leptin thus reflects energy stores in adipose tissue and serves to signal the brain (15). To improve understanding of the leptin signaling pathway, a number of approaches have been tried to clarify the roles of leptin-modulated hypothalamic neuropeptides in the regulation of feeding behavior and energy homeostasis (16-18).Leptin negatively regulates orexigenic neuropeptide Y (16) and agouti gene-related protein (17) and positively regulates anorexigenic proopio-melanocortin-derived peptide through leptin receptors on neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (18). Anorexigenic corticotropin-releasing hormone in the paraventricular nucleus, which negatively affects neuropeptide Y neurons in the arcuate nucleus (19), is also positively regulated by leptin (20). The signals from such sites in the mediobasal hypothalamus thus communicate the neural underpinning of hunger and satiety with the orexigenic mediators orexin (21) and melanocortin concentrating hormone (22), both of which originate in the lateral hypothalamus.Serum concentration of leptin is known to be increased in the great majority of obese humans as well as in most rodent models, indicating that most obesity is leptin resistant (23,24). Although the details and molecular basis of the mechanisms are unknown, important factors are indicated by the following findings. F...