Fosinopril is an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used for the treatment of hypertension and some types of chronic heart failure. Fosinopril is the only phosphonate-containing ACE inhibitor marketed, by

Bristol-Myers Squibb The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...

under the trade name Monopril. Fosinopril is a cascading pro-drug. The special niche for the medication that differentiates it from the other members of the ACE Inhibitor drug class is that was specifically developed for the use for patients with renal impairment. This was through manipulation of the metabolism and excretion, and is seen that fifty percent of the drug is hepatobiliary cleared, which can compensate for diminished renal clearance. The remaining fifty percent is excreted in urine. It does not need dose adjustment. It was patented in 1980 and approved for medical use in 1991.

Medical uses

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

, the ability of the heart to pump enough blood to satisfy the physiological needs of the body is reduced.Guyton, Arthur C., Hall, John E. (2006). Textbook of Medical Physiology (11th ed.). Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders. This condition has a variety of causes, including damaged heart valves,

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

, hypertension, vitamin B₁ deficiency, and genetic mutations. When subsequent blood flow to the kidneys is reduced, the kidneys respond by increasing the secretion of

renin Renin (etymology and pronunciation), also known as an angiotensinogenase, is an aspartic protease protein and enzyme secreted by the kidneys that participates in the body's renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS)—also known as the r ...

from the

juxtaglomerular apparatus The juxtaglomerular apparatus (also known as the juxtaglomerular complex) is a structure in the kidney that regulates the function of each nephron, the functional units of the kidney. The juxtaglomerular apparatus is named because it is next to ...

. Renin converts the inactive

angiotensinogen Angiotensin is a peptide hormone that causes vasoconstriction and an increase in blood pressure. It is part of the renin–angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure. Angiotensin also stimulates the release of aldosterone from the a ...

into

angiotensin I Angiotensin is a peptide hormone that causes vasoconstriction and an increase in blood pressure. It is part of the renin–angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure. Angiotensin also stimulates the release of aldosterone from the a ...

, which is converted to angiotensin II (AII) by

angiotensin converting enzyme Angiotensin-converting enzyme (), or ACE, is a central component of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), which controls blood pressure by regulating the volume of fluids in the body. It converts the hormone angiotensin I to the active vasoconstr ...

(ACE). AII can have negative effects on the cardiovascular system after events such as heart failure and myocardial infarction. AII causes arterial

vasoconstriction Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, in particular the large arteries and small arterioles. The process is the opposite of vasodilation, the widening of blood vess ...

and hypertension, resulting in an increase in afterload, increasing the resistance against which the heart works.Katzung, Bertram G.; Masters, Susan B.; Trevor, Anthony J. (2009). ''Basic and Clinical Pharmacology''. 11th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Additionally, chronic increase in production of AII is associated with structural changes to the myocardiumYamagishi H., Kim S., Nishikimi T., Takeuchi K., Takeda T. (1993). Contribution of cardiac renin-angiotensin system to ventricular remodelling in myocardial-infarcted rats. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 25(11):1369-80. which reduces the functionality of the heart. In heart failure patients, fosinopril increases exercise tolerance and lowers the frequency of events associated with worsening heart failure, such as

dyspnea Shortness of breath (SOB), also medically known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing di ...

, the need for supplemental

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics i ...

s, fatigue, and hospitalizations.Erhardt L., MacLean A., Ilgenfritz J., Gelperin K., Blumenthal M. (1995). Fosinopril attenuates clinical deterioration and improves exercise tolerance in patients with heart failure. Fosinopril Efficacy/Safety Trial (FEST) Study Group. European Heart Journal,16(12):1892-9.

Chemistry

Unlike other ACE inhibitors that are primarily excreted by the kidneys, fosinopril is eliminated from the body by both

renal The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

and

hepatic The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it is ...

pathways.Zannad F., Chati Z., Guest M., Plat F. (1998). Differential effects of fosinopril and enalapril in patients with mild to moderate chronic heart failure. Fosinopril in Heart Failure Study Investigators. American Heart Journal, 136(4 Pt 1):672-80. This characteristic of fosinopril makes the drug a safer choice than other ACE inhibitors for heart failure patients with impaired kidney function resulting from poor perfusionGreenbaum R., Zucchelli P., Caspi A., Nouriel H., Paz R., Sclarovsky S., O'Grady P., Yee K.F., Liao W.C., Mangold B. (2000). Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of fosinoprilat with enalaprilat and lisinopril in patients with congestive heart failure and chronic renal insufficiency. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 49(1):23-31. as fosinopril can still be eliminated by the liver, preventing accumulation of the drug in the body. Fosinopril is de-esterified by the liver or gastrointestinal mucosa and is converted to its active form, fosinoprilat.Duchin K.L., Waclawski A.P., Tu J.I., Manning J., Frantz M., Willard D.A. (1991). Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Pharmacologic Effects of Fosinopril Sodium, an Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor in Healthy Subjects. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 31(1):58-64. Fosinoprilat competitively binds to ACE, preventing ACE from binding to and converting angiotensin I to angiotensin II. Inhibiting the production of AII lowers

peripheral vascular resistance Vascular resistance is the resistance that must be overcome to push blood through the circulatory system and create flow. The resistance offered by the systemic circulation is known as the systemic vascular resistance (SVR) or may sometimes be cal ...

, decreases afterload, and decreases blood pressure, thus helping to alleviate the negative effects of AII on cardiac performance.

References

{{Angiotensin receptor modulators ACE inhibitors Carboxamides Enantiopure drugs Phosphinates Prodrugs Pyrrolidines Cyclohexyl compounds