Activated nuclear factor-kappaB and increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha in atrial tissue of atrial fibrillation.
OBJECTIVE
To depict the interaction between atrial fibrillation (AF) and inflammatory reaction, studies were taken to measure the activity of NF-kappaB in myocardium, the concentration of regional inflammatory factors and the pathological process of the right atrium in patients with AF.


METHODS
Patients with valvular disease with AF or sinus rhythm (SR) were recruited and compared. Before the extracorporal circulation, about 250 mg tissue of right atrium was collected for pathological examination. The activity of NF-kappaB in myocardium was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), and the concentration of cardiac tissue interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) was determined by radioimmuoassay.


RESULTS
Patients with valvular disease with AF exhibited higher NF-kappaB activity, higher concentration of TNF-alpha and IL-6, severe lymphomonocyte infiltration, and more fibrosis than those patients with valvular disease with SR. There were significant positive correlations among NF-kappaB activity and levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 and collagen volume fraction.


CONCLUSIONS
This study proved the presence of inflammation in atrial myocardium by triggering inflammatory reaction.
Qu
Yu-Chun
YC
Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Du
Yao-Min
YM
Wu
Shu-Lin
SL
Chen
Qiu-Xiong
QX
Wu
Huan-Lin
HL
Zhou
Shu-Feng
SF
D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002681:China; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000032:analysis*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000032:analysis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*; D015854:Up-Regulation
C508600:IL6 protein, human; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016328:NF-kappa B; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003094:Collagen