No Effect of Zinc on Acetylating Capacity

To the Editor: Hydralazine is often associated with a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like syndrome. 1 The most important pathway for metabolism of hydralazine is acetylation. Most patients with this syndrome are known to have slow acetylation. 2 Oral zinc therapy has been reported to be associated with a dramatic aggravation of the syndrome. 3 Since zinc is involved in cellular metabolism, 4 we postulated that zinc might change the acetylating capacity of the liver. Four men and four women (35 to 71 years old) with venous leg ulcers were investigated. The patients were not treated with oral zinc or any drugs known to affect . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.