Soluble Transferrin Receptor as Iron Deficiency Biomarker: Impact on Exercise Capacity in Heart Failure Patients

The soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is a marker of tissue iron status, which could indicate an increased iron demand at the tissue level. The impact of sTfR levels on functional capacity and quality of life (QoL) in non-anemic heart failure (HF) patients with otherwise normal systemic iron status has not been evaluated. We conducted an observational, prospective, cohort study of 1236 patients with chronic HF. We selected patients with normal hemoglobin levels and normal systemic iron status. Tissue iron deficiency (ID) was defined as levels of sTfR > 75th percentile (1.63 mg per L). The primary endpoints were the distance walked in the 6 min walking test (6MWT) and the overall summary score (OSS) of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). The final study cohort consisted of 215 patients. Overall QoL was significantly worse (51 +/- 27 vs. 39 +/- 20, p-value = 0.006, respectively), and the 6 MWT distance was significantly worse in patients with tissue ID when compared to patients without tissue ID (206 +/- 179 m vs. 314 +/- 155, p-value < 0.0001, respectively). Higher sTfR levels, indicating increased iron demand, were associated with a shorter distance in the 6 MWT (standardized beta = -0.249, p < 0.001) and a higher MLHFQ OSS (standardized fi = 0.183, p-value = 0.008). In this study, we show that in patients with normal systemic iron parameters, higher levels of sTfR are strongly associated with an impaired submaximal exercise capacity and with worse QoL

Blood Differential Gene Expression in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure and Systemic Iron Deficiency: Pathways Involved in Pathophysiology and Impact on Clinical Outcomes

Background: iron deficiency is a common disorder in patients with heart failure and is related with adverse outcomes and poor quality of life. Previous experimental studies have shown biological connections between iron homeostasis, mitochondrial metabolism, and myocardial function. However, the mechanisms involved in this crosstalk are yet to be unfolded. Methods: the present research attempts to investigate the intrinsic biological mechanisms between heart failure and iron deficiency and to identify potential prognostic biomarkers by determining the gene expression pattern in the blood of heart failure patients, using whole transcriptome and targeted TaqMan(R) low-density array analyses. Results: we performed a stepwise cross-sectional longitudinal study in a cohort of chronic heart failure patients with and without systemic iron deficiency. First, the full transcriptome was performed in a nested case-control exploratory cohort of 7 paired patients and underscored 1128 differentially expressed transcripts according to iron status (cohort1#). Later, we analyzed the messenger RNA levels of 22 genes selected by their statistical significance and pathophysiological relevance, in a validation cohort of 71 patients (cohort 2#). Patients with systemic iron deficiency presented lower mRNA levels of mitochondrial ferritin, sirtuin-7, small integral membrane protein 20, adrenomedullin and endothelin converting enzyme-1. An intermediate mitochondrial ferritin gene expression and an intermediate or low sirtuin7 and small integral membrane protein 20 mRNA levels were associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and heart failure admission ((HR 2.40, 95% CI 1.04-5.50, p-value = 0.039), (HR 5.49, 95% CI 1.78-16.92, p-value = 0.003), (HR 9.51, 95% CI 2.69-33.53, p-value < 0.001), respectively). Conclusions: patients with chronic heart failure present different patterns of blood gene expression depending on systemic iron status that affect pivotal genes involved in iron regulation, mitochondrial metabolism, endothelial function and cardiovascular physiology, and correlate with adverse clinical outcomes