title: Activated nuclear factor-kappaB and increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha in atrial tissue of atrial fibrillation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Yao-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Shu-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Qiu-Xiong
authors.initials: QX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Huan-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shu-Feng
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016328:NF-kappa B; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003094:Collagen