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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Angiotensin enzyme activity and peptides in dogs with heart disease

By Éva Larouche‐Lebel et al.·Published in Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine·2019·Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania, GB·View original on DOAJ

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Original publication title: Plasma and tissue angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 activity and plasma equilibrium concentrations of angiotensin peptides in dogs with heart disease

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A study found that dogs with heart disease, specifically congestive heart failure (CHF), had higher levels of a protein called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in their blood compared to healthy dogs. This protein helps produce beneficial angiotensin peptides that can improve heart function. When researchers added a human version of ACE2 to blood samples from dogs with CHF, it significantly increased the levels of these helpful peptides while reducing harmful ones. This suggests that targeting the ACE2 system could be a promising new treatment approach for dogs with heart disease.

People also search for: dog heart disease treatment · congestive heart failure in dogs · ACE2 therapy for dogs

Abstract

Abstract Background Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a homologue of angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) and produces angiotensin peptides (APs), such as angiotensin 1‐9 and 1‐7 that are vasodilatory and natriuretic, and act to counterbalance angiotensin II. Hypothesis Evidence of ACE2 can be found in tissues and plasma of dogs. Equilibrium concentrations of renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) APs differ in dogs with heart disease compared to healthy dogs and recombinant human ACE2 (rhACE2) alters relative concentrations of APs. Animals Forty‐nine dogs with and 34 dogs without heart disease. Methods Immunohistochemistry and assays for tissue and plasma ACE2 activity and equilibrium concentrations of plasma RAAS APs were performed. Results Immunolabeling for ACE2 was present in kidney and myocardial tissue. Median plasma ACE2 activity was significantly increased in dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF; 6.9 mU/mg; interquartile range [IQR], 5.1‐12.1) as compared to control (2.2 mU/mg; IQR, 1.8‐3.0; P = .0003). Plasma equilibrium analysis of RAAS APs identified significant increases in the median concentrations of beneficial APs, such as angiotensin 1‐7, in dogs with CHF (486.7 pg/mL; IQR, 214.2‐1168) as compared to those with preclinical disease (41.0 pg/mL; IQR, 27.4‐45.1; P < .0001) or control (11.4 pg/mL; IQR, 7.1‐25.3; P = .01). Incubation of plasma samples from dogs with CHF with rhACE2 increased beneficial APs, such as angiotensin 1‐9 (preincubation, 10.3 pg/mL; IQR, 4.4‐37.2; postincubation, 2431 pg/mL; IQR, 1355‐3037; P = .02), while simultaneously decreasing maladaptive APs, such as angiotensin II (preincubation, 53.4 pg/mL; IQR, 28.6‐226.4; postincubation, 2.4 pg/mL; IQR, 0.50‐5.8; P = .02). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Recognition of the ACE2 system expands the conventional view of the RAAS in the dog and represents an important potential therapeutic target.

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Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15548