Abstract: AIM:To explore the alteration of plasma leptin and soluble leptin receptor in coronary heart disease (CHD) and to assess the relationship between plasma concentrations of leptin and risk factors of CHD. METHODS: This study was comprised of 180 CHD patients and 60 healthy controls. Severity and extent of coronary lesions were analyzed by coronary artery angiography (CAG) and typified by Gensini coronary score system. Levels of fasting plasma leptin and soluble leptin receptor were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in all subjects. Several biochemical parameters were measured, including fasting glucose, triglyceride and total cholesterol. Body mass index, waist-hip ratio and other indicators were also measured. Correlations between leptin and CHD as well as soluble leptin receptor and CHD were analyzed. RESULTS: Plasma leptin level was significantly higher in CHD patients than in control group ［(12±6) vs. (9±5) g/L, P<0.01］, and soluble leptin receptor levels were lower than in control group ［(124±62) vs. (164±70) g/L, P<0.01］. After adjusting for age, blood glucose and blood pressure, between-group differences were statistically significant. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that leptin remained significantly associated with CHD after adjusting for potential confounding factors. CONCLUSION: Plasma leptin level in patients with CHD significantly increases compared with normal control group. Leptin concentration and severity of coronary artery disease are positively correlated, whereas soluble leptin receptor is negatively correlated with severity of coronary artery disease, indicating that leptin resistance is closely related to the occurrence and development of CHD.