It is well known that the role of leptin in the body is to regulate food intake and energy expenditure but the process of leptin secretion by adipose tissue and the components involved in this process are still obscure. Carbonic anhydrase III (CA III) is the most abundant protein of the rat adipose tissue and its amount decreases with obesity. The effect of the inhibition of CA III on leptin secretion by rat epididymal adipose tissue was examined. Dorzolamide, a CA inhibitor, caused a decrease in dexamethasone and insulin-induced leptin secretion suggesting a possible role for CA III in the mechanism of leptin secretion.