THIRD INTERNATIONAL FESTEM SYMPOSIUM
Effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) on zinc metabolism in patients with heart failure

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and furosemide on zinc metabolism by assessing serum zinc and urine levels in hospitalized subjects. We recruited 11 patients with heart failure from the Internal Medicine Department; these patients had been hospitalized less than 72 h before. Heart failure was defined using clinical and radiological signs. Serum zinc concentrations were measured using an air/acetylene flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Urine zinc levels were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Data were obtained from the 11 patients and 24 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Results indicate higher urine zinc levels and lower concentrations of zinc in serum in heart failure patients vs matched controls (p<0.05).

This study suggests that treating heart failure patients with ACE inhibitors may result in zinc deficiency.

Introduction

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome with a high mortality rate even in western countries. It develops most frequently as a consequence of arrythmias, valvular disease and coronariopathy. It is recognized clinically by a constellation of symptoms and signs produced by complex circulatory and neurohormonal responses to cardiac dysfunction [1].

Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACEi), together with diuretics (furosemide), have been in widespread use in the last two decades, due to a better outcome in symptoms and prognosis in systolic left ventricular dysfunction and chronic HF [2]. ACEi have been associated with sustained excessive renal zinc excretion and low serum zinc levels [3], [4]. In HF, a single oral dose of furosemide resulted in no change in serum zinc levels and 24-hour urine zinc excretion [5]. Moreover, if combined with captopril (ACEi), there was little less urinary zinc excretion than in the group treated with captopril alone [6]. Captopril has a sulphydryl group (SH) and it has been hypothesized that the ability of the SH to bind to bivalent metals could induce urinary zinc losses [7].

Zinc is an essential trace element required for essential catalytic functions of many enzymes (at least 300 are known at present). It plays an important role in the structure of proteins and cell membranes [8], regulating gene expression by acting as a transcription factor and it could play a role in apoptosis [9]. Zinc has also been found to influence hormone release and nerve impulse transmission.

In this study we compare the urine and serum zinc levels in a HF group, which has begun treatment with ACEi in the previous hours, with those of a healthy control group.

Section snippets

Subjects

We recruited 11 patients with HF (73% female, 27% male) within the age range 58–91 years (mean age 78 years) from the Internal Medicine Department. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 40 or less was considered HF due to systolic dysfunction. We also considered the following parameters: body mass index (BMI), hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), dislipemia, atrial fibrillation and NYHA classification. The inclusion criteria were age of more than 25 years, radiological signs of HF

Results

As shown in the figures, significant differences were observed between cases and controls for serum and urine zinc concentrations. Serum zinc levels were lower in the HF group (67.27 vs 87.32) (p=0.001) (Fig. 1) and the urine zinc excretion was significantly higher in the treated group (2.24 vs 0.21) (p<0.001) (Fig. 2).

Discussion and conclusion

No study has examined zinc metabolism in a large population with HF. A few small studies have done so, with varying results. And very few studies have explored the effects of drugs commonly used in HF treatment on zinc metabolism. Previous studies have indicated a serum zinc depletion and high zinc urinary excretion in patients chronically treated with ACEi [10]. We have observed a high urinary zinc excretion and low serum zinc levels in patients hospitalized because of HF, and in those who

References (11)

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