Department of Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department Cardiology, Erasmus Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Cells. 2022 Jan 26;11(3):427. doi: 10.3390/cells11030427.
The current paradigm is that fibrosis promotes electrophysiological disorders and drives atrial fibrillation (AF). In this current study, we investigated the relation between the degree of fibrosis in human atrial tissue samples of controls and patients in various stages of AF and the degree of electrophysiological abnormalities.
The degree of fibrosis was measured in the atrial tissue and serum of patients in various stages of AF and the controls. Hereto, picrosirius and H&E staining were performed to quantify degree of total, endo-perimysial fibrosis, and cardiomyocyte diameter. Western blot quantified fibrosis markers: neural cell adhesion molecule, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase, lysyl oxidase, and α-smooth muscle actin. In serum, the ratio carboxyl-terminal telopeptide of collagen/matrix-metalloproteinase1 was determined. High-resolution epicardial mapping evaluated low-voltage areas and conduction abnormalities.
No significant differences were observed in the degree of fibrosis between the groups. Finally, no significant correlation-absolute nor spatial-was observed between all electrophysiological parameters and histological fibrosis markers.
No differences in the degree of fibrosis were observed in patients from various stages of AF compared to the controls. Moreover, electrophysiological abnormalities did not correlate with any of the fibrosis markers. The findings indicate that fibrosis is not the hallmark of structural remodeling in AF.
目前的观点认为，纤维化可导致电生理紊乱并驱动心房颤动（房颤）。在本研究中，我们研究了在不同阶段房颤患者和对照者的人左房组织样本中纤维化程度与电生理异常程度之间的关系。
我们对不同阶段房颤患者和对照者的左房组织和血清中的纤维化程度进行了测量。为此，我们进行了苦味酸天狼星红和 H&E 染色，以定量总纤维化、内-周肌纤维化和心肌细胞直径的程度。Western blot 定量了纤维化标志物：神经细胞黏附分子、组织金属蛋白酶抑制剂、赖氨酰氧化酶和α-平滑肌肌动蛋白。在血清中，测定了胶原羧基末端肽/基质金属蛋白酶 1 的比率。高分辨率心外膜标测评估了低电压区和传导异常。
各组之间纤维化的程度没有显著差异。最后，所有电生理参数与组织学纤维化标志物之间没有观察到绝对相关性或空间相关性。
与对照组相比，在不同阶段房颤患者中，纤维化的程度没有差异。此外，电生理异常与任何纤维化标志物均无相关性。这些发现表明，纤维化不是房颤结构重构的标志。
