Decreased angiotensin-converting enzyme in the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Abstract

Using hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine as substrate, serum angiotensin-converting enzyme was measured in 13 patients who had adult respiratory distress syndrome, eight patients with respiratory failure without adult respiratory distress syndrome, and two groups of controls: 24 healthy blood donors and 24 hospitalized patients with a variety of conditions but without respiratory failure or adult respiratory distress syndrome. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme expressed in units/ml was 14.60 +/- 5.60 for adult respiratory distress syndrome compared with 28.92 +/- 6.60 for the blood donors, 20.76 +/- 5.87 for the patients with respiratory failure without adult respiratory distress syndrome and 20.20 +/- 5.94 in the hospitalized patients without respiratory failure or adult respiratory distress syndrome. These differences were significant, P less than .001 when adult respiratory distress syndrome was tested against the blood donors and P less than .01 against the other two groups. The significance of these findings is not clear, but the possibility is raised that the decrease of angiotensin-converting enzyme in adult respiratory distress syndrome results from a loss of pulmonary endothelial cells, which are known both to produce angiotensin-converting enzyme and to be damaged in adult respiratory distress syndrome.

• Authors: C W Bedrossian, J Woo, W C Miller, D C Cannon
• Journal: American journal of clinical pathology (Am J Clin Pathol) Vol. 70 Issue 2 Pg. 244-7 (Aug 1978) ISSN: 0002-9173 [Print] England
• PMID: 211845 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
• Renin

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A (metabolism)
• Renin (blood)
• Respiratory Distress Syndrome (enzymology)