Gut microbiome and atrial fibrillation: mechanistic insights metabolites and comorbidities. Systematic review
Abstract
Abstract Emerging evidence indicates that the gut microbiome (GM) and its metabolites may play a role in the development of cardiometabolic diseases, including atrial fibrillation (AF). Although the current data are limited, studies suggest that the GM composition in AF mirrors that observed in associated conditions such as heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease (characterized by increased genera Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, and decreased genus Faecalibacterium). Additionally, patients with AF appear to have distinct microbial alterations, including increased abundances of the genera Dialister, Dorea, Haemophilus, Klebsiella, Lachnospira, Parabacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Veillonella and decreased abundances of the genera Butyricicoccus, Hungatella, and Prevotella. Gut-derived metabolites also show associations with AF. Trimethylamine N-oxide and choline have been linked to new-onset and postoperative AF, potentially via autonomic, inflammatory, and fibrotic pathways. In contrast, short-chain fatty acids, which are reduced in AF patients, may offer protective effects. Elevated lipopolysaccharide levels are correlated with AF onset and recurrence through inflammation and structural remodeling. Indoxyl sulfate and bile acids may contribute to arrhythmogenesis via oxidative stress, apoptosis, and disrupted calcium signaling. These mechanisms contribute to AF by disrupting conduction and increasing automaticity. Emerging evidence also…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Bile Acid 7α-Dehydroxylating Gut Bacteria Secrete Antibiotics that Inhibit Clostridium difficile: Role of Secondary Bile Acids
- Ketogenic diet alleviates colitis by reduction of colonic group 3 innate lymphoid cells through altering gut microbiome
- Altered gut microbiome composition and function are associated with gut barrier dysfunction in healthy relatives of patients with Crohn's disease
- Diet, obesity, and the gut microbiome as determinants modulating metabolic outcomes in a non-human primate model
- Immune Impairment Associated with Vitamin A Deficiency: Insights from Clinical Studies and Animal Model Research
- Glyphosate-based herbicides influence antioxidants, reproductive hormones and gut microbiome but not reproduction: A long-term experiment in an avian model
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.