Anabolic Hormone Deficiencies in Heart Failure with Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction and Correlation with Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity

Anabolic hormones and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: looking for Ariadne's thread

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex clinical syndrome that accounts for more than half of all heart failure patients. Identification, early diagnosis and management of patients are still complex, and no targeted treatment is available, since all tested drugs were not able to lower hard clinical outcomes. A multi-hormonal deficiency syndrome has been described in HFpEF patients suggesting that different hormones may represent new biomarkers of the disease, but their clinical utility is still debated. The natriuretic peptides are the cornerstone biomarker in heart failure, predicting cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization. Testosterone and DHEA-S deficiencies have been reported in HFpEF and associated with right ventricular impairment and diastolic dysfunction. IGFBP-1/IGF-1 axis correlates with echocardiographic parameters of HFpEF patients and with several prognostic biomarkers including NT-proBNP and C reactive protein. Low triiodothyronine syndrome is frequently found in HFpEF and thyroid hormones should represent a potential biomarker of risk stratification and prognosis.

Corrigendum to "Anabolic Hormone Deficiencies in Heart Failure with Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction and Correlation with Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity"

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2020/5798146.].

Anabolic Hormones Deficiencies in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Prevalence and Impact on Antioxidants Levels and Myocardial Dysfunction

Purpose: In heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, catabolic mechanisms have a strong negative impact on mortality and morbidity. The relationship between anabolic hormonal deficiency and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has still been poorly investigated. On the other hand, oxidative stress is recognized as a player in the pathogenesis of HFpEF. Therefore, we performed a cohort study in HFpEF aimed to (1) define the multi-hormonal deficiency prevalence in HFpEF patients; (2) investigate the relationships between hormonal deficiencies and echocardiographic indexes; (3) explore the modulatory activity of anabolic hormones on antioxidant systems. Methods: 84 patients with diagnosis of HFpEF were enrolled in the study. Plasma levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, fasting glucose, insulin, lipid pattern, insulin-like growth factor-1, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), total testosterone (T, only in male subjects) were evaluated. Hormonal deficiencies were defined according to T.O.S.C.A. multi-centric study, as previously published. An echocardiographic evaluation was performed. Plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured using the system metmyoglobin -H₂O₂ and the chromogen ABTS, whose radical form is spectroscopically revealed; latency time (LAG) in the appearance of ABTS• is proportional to antioxidants in sample. Results: Multiple deficiencies were discovered. DHEA-S deficiency in 87% of patients, IGF-1 in 67% of patients, T in 42%. Patients with DHEA-S deficiency showed lower levels of TAC expressed by LAG (mean ± SEM 91.25 ± 9.34 vs. 75.22 ± 4.38 s; p < 0.05). No differences between TAC in patients with or without IGF-1 deficiency were found. A trend toward high level of TAC in patients without hormonal deficiencies compared with patients with one or multiple deficiencies was found. Regarding echocardiographic parameters, Left Atrial and Left Atrial Volume Index were significantly higher in patients with low IGF-1 values (mean ± SD 90.84 ± 3.86 vs. 72.83 ± 3.78 mL; 51.03 ± 2.33 vs. 40.56 ± 2.46 mL/m², respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study showed high prevalence of anabolic deficiencies in HFpEF. DHEA-S seems to influence antioxidant levels; IGF-1 deficiency was associated with alteration in parameters of myocardial structure and dysfunction. These data suggest a role of anabolic hormones in the complex pathophysiological mechanisms of HFpEF and could represent the basis for longitudinal studies and investigations on possible benefits of replacement therapy.