The effect of pimobendan and enalapril use on blood serum trace element levels in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease

Background and objective: Myxamatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is a common acquired heart disease in dogs that can lead to progressive and long-term congestive heart failure (CHF). Pimobendan and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) are commonly used in MMVD treatment. Trace elements are essential for maintaining cardiovascular functions. Synergistic or antagonistic interactions between some trace elements and substances are widely known. In our study, it was aimed to evaluate the effects of treatment duration, age, weight and gender on serum trace element levels in dogs with MMVD by using pimobendan and enalapril as monotherapy. Material-Methods: 13 dogs with MMVD were treated with pimobendan (0.25–0.3 mg/kg, q12h, PO Vetmedin®) and 21 dogs with MMVD were treated with enalapril (0.25–0.5 mg/kg, q12h, PO Enapril®) for at least 30 days. The serum trace element levels (Cu, Zn, Fe, Co, Mg, Mn, Se, Cr) of all patients were measured with Inductively coupled plasma-Optical emission spectroscopy device. Relevances were evaluated related to treatment duration, age, weight and gender in each treatment group. Results: Adjusted R2 values of the model, which included treatment, treatment duration, treatment x duration interaction, age, weight and gender as predictors, were negative except for Se. Furthermore, the model explained only 10.4% of the variation in Se. The effect of age was significant in the model of Se (β = 0.462; P = 0.028). Treatment duration also tended to be significant in the prediction of Se concentration (β = -0.364; P = 0.086). Conclusion: We consider that treatment (enalapril vs. pimobendan), treatment duration, treatment x duration interaction, weight and gender were not good predictors of trace elements. In our study, age contributed significantly only to the Se level.