LEP and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Leptin, the product of the obesity (Ob) gene [1], predominantly synthesized by adipocytes, has been shown to be involved in the regulation of the reproductive function [2] and recent studies have been performed, by exploiting the potential role of this hormone in animal models, such as mouse, swine and bovine, to evaluate the possibility of improving in vitro oocyte maturation and embryo culture procedures.