[The effect of carvedilol on apoptosis gene PDCD5 expression in chronic heart failure patients].

OBJECTIVE

To observe the changes of serum PDCD5 antibody in chronic ischemic heart failure patients and the effect of carvedilol treatment.

METHODS

Twenty chronic ischemic heart failure patients, 11 males and 9 females, aged 58 +/- 13, with the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 45% by echocardiography and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification II-III, were treated with carvedilol for 6 months with a target dosage of 50 mg/d. The serum PDCD5 antibody was tested by ELISA before and after carvedilol treatment and compared with those of 20 healthy persons.

RESULTS

The A value of PDCD5 antibody in the heart failure patients was 3.5 +/- 1.4, significantly higher that in than healthy persons (1.9 +/- 1.0, P < 0.01). After treatment of carvedilol, the A value of PDCD5 antibody in the heart failure patients decreased to 2.5 +/- 1.2 (P < 0.05). In 6 months maintenance treatment, 14 (70%) patients reached the dosage 50 mg/d, 4 (20%) reached 25 mg/d, and 2 (10%) reached 12.5 mg/d. Five patients (25%) had side effect such as dizziness, nausea and cough, one patient (5%) was hospitalized for 3 weeks because of heart failure, no patient died. After treatment of carvedilol, the NYHA degree increased by 0.3 (P < 0.05), LVEF increased from 35.5% +/- 7.8% to 42.7% +/- 9.6% (P < 0.05), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased 5.3 mm (P < 0.05), and left ventricular end-systolic diameter decreased by 8.1 mm (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The titer of apoptosis gene PDCD5 antibody in the serum of chronic ischemic heart failure patients are higher, which shows apoptosis and treatment of carvedilol significantly decreases its titer.