Urocortin-2 in Acute Heart Failure: Role as a Marker of Volume Overload and Pulmonary Hypertension

Autores da FMUP

• Mariana Marques Santos Pintalhão

  Autor

• Paulo Manuel Barreiros De Castro Chaves

  Autor

• António Sousa Barros

  Autor

• Rafael Clara Martins

  Autor

• Joaquim Adelino Correia Ferreira Leite Moreira

  Autor

• Carmen Dulce Da Silveira Brás Silva Ribeiro

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Maia Rocha, C
• Adao, R
• Bettencourt, P

Unidades de investigação

• Cirurgia e Fisiologia

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

Urocortin (Ucn)-2 has shown promising therapeutic effects on heart failure (HF). However, there are still significant knowledge gaps regarding the role and modulation of the endogenous Ucn-2 axis in the cardiovascular system and, specifically, in acute HF. We evaluated Ucn-2 levels in admission serum samples of 80 acute HF patients and assessed their association with clinical, analytical and echocardiographic parameters. Median age was 76.5 years, and 37 patients (46%) were male. Median serum Ucn-2 was 2.3ng/mL. Ucn-2 levels were positively associated with peripheral edemas (P = 0.022), hepatomegaly (P = 0.007) and sodium retention score (r = 0.37, P = 0.001) and inversely correlated with inferior vena cava collapse at inspiration (r = -0.37, P = 0.001). Additionally, patients with higher Ucn-2 levels had a higher prevalence of right atrial dilation (P = 0.027), right ventricle dilation (P = 0.008), and higher systolic pulmonary artery pressure (r = 0.34, P = 0.002). Regarding analytical parameters, Ucn-2 correlated positively with log BNP (r = 0.22, P = 0.055) and inversely with uric acid (r = 0.24, P = 0.029) and total (r = -0.30, P = 0.007) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = -0.23, P = 0.038). No associations were found between Ucn-2 and age, sex or left heart structure or function. In conclusion, Circulating Ucn-2 was associated with clinical and echocardiographic markers of volume overload and pulmonary hypertension in acute HF patients.

Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

• Aged; Biomarkers; Echocardiography; Heart Failure; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Urocortins; angiotensin receptor antagonist; beta adrenergic receptor blocking agent; brain natriuretic peptide; dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase inhibitor; loop diuretic agent; low density lipoprotein cholesterol; spironolactone; uric acid; urocortin II; biological marker; urocortin; acute heart failure; age; aged; cardiac patient; cardiovascular parameters; clinical feature; controlled study; disease association; disease marker; echocardiography; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; female; gender; heart atrium enlargement; heart failure; heart left atrium; heart left ventricle; heart left ventricle function; heart right atrium; heart right ventricle; hepatomegaly; human; hypervolemia; inferior cava vein; laboratory test; low density lipoprotein cholesterol level; major clinical study; male; peripheral edema; Portugal; protein blood level; protein function; pulmonary artery systolic pressure; pulmonary