For the treatment of essential or renovascular hypertension (usually administered with other drugs, particularly thiazide diuretics). May be used to treat congestive heart failure in combination with other drugs (e.g. cardiac glycosides, diuretics, β-adrenergic blockers). May improve survival in patients with left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction. May be used to treat nephropathy, including diabetic nephropathy.
There are two isoforms of ACE: the somatic isoform, which exists as a glycoprotein comprised of a single polypeptide chain of 1277; and the testicular isoform, which has a lower molecular mass and is thought to play a role in sperm maturation and binding of sperm to the oviduct epithelium. Somatic ACE has two functionally active domains, N and C, which arise from tandem gene duplication. Although the two domains have high sequence similarity, they play distinct physiological roles. The C-domain is predominantly involved in blood pressure regulation while the N-domain plays a role in hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and proliferation. ACE inhibitors bind to and inhibit the activity of both domains, but have much greater affinity for and inhibitory activity against the C-domain. Captopril, one of the few ACE inhibitors that is not a prodrug, competes with ATI for binding to ACE and inhibits and enzymatic proteolysis of ATI to ATII. Decreasing ATII levels in the body decreases blood pressure by inhibiting the pressor effects of ATII as described in the Pharmacology section above. Captopril also causes an increase in plasma renin activity likely due to a loss of feedback inhibition mediated by ATII on the release of renin and/or stimulation of reflex mechanisms via baroreceptors. Captopril’s affinity for ACE is approximately 30,000 times greater than that of ATI.
Symptoms of overdose include emesis and decreased blood pressure. Side effects include dose-dependent rash (usually maculopapular), taste alterations, hypotension, gastric irritation, cough, and angioedema.
60-75% in fasting individuals; food decreases absorption by 25-40% (some evidence indicates that this is not clinically significant)
2 hours