Narducci Maria Lucia, Conte Cristina, Telesca Alessandro, Liuzzo Giovanna, Imazio Massimo
Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli-IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy.
Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2025 Jun 11. doi: 10.1016/j.tcm.2025.05.006.
Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) pose a significant challenge in clinical management due to their impact on mortality, particularly the risk of sudden cardiac death, which remains a concern despite the use of only partially effective anti-arrhythmic drugs and repeated catheterablation. There is also a need for more precise risk stratification tools for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) most commonly occurs in patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) or non ischemic cardiomyopathy characterized by fibrotic ventricular scars, which can be identified as areas of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) through cardiac magnetic resonance or as low-voltage areas via three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping. Both the presence and extent of cardiac fibrosis are linked to ventricular arrhythmogenesis and the risk of sudden death. Fibrosis contributes to VAs for several reasons; primarily, it causes structural remodelling that alters the myocardial architecture and promotes reentry circuits. On this regard, increasing evidence highlights the role of inflammation mediated by the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome as a key factor in scar development, cardiac electrical instability, and disease progression. Secondly, systemic and local sympathetic hyperactivity significantly contribute to electrical instability. The interplay between inflammation, cardiac fibrosis and sympathetic hyperactivity has been neglected for a long time. However, a deep insight in the pathogenesis of VAs is warranted in order to develop new and tailored pharmacological strategies. Therefore, the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, autonomic imbalance, and early stage of myocardial fibrosis may represent promising therapeutic targets for mitigating adverse ventricular remodeling and the burden of VAs. On this basis of multiple evidence, inflammation plays a role of trigger in a hypothetical Coumel's triangle of arrhythmogenesis for the pathogenesis of VAs, where the ventricular substrate is represented by cardiac fibrosis, and the favoring modulating factor is provided by sympathetic hyperactivity.
危及生命的室性心律失常(VAs)对临床管理构成了重大挑战,因为它们会影响死亡率,尤其是心脏性猝死的风险,尽管使用了仅部分有效的抗心律失常药物并反复进行导管消融,但这一风险仍然令人担忧。此外,还需要更精确的植入式心脏复律除颤器(ICD)风险分层工具。持续性室性心动过速(VT)最常见于有心肌梗死(MI)病史或非缺血性心肌病患者,其特征为纤维化的心室瘢痕,可通过心脏磁共振成像将其识别为延迟钆增强(LGE)区域,或通过三维电解剖标测将其识别为低电压区域。心脏纤维化的存在和程度均与室性心律失常的发生及猝死风险相关。纤维化导致室性心律失常的原因有多种;主要是它会引起结构重塑,改变心肌结构并促进折返环路的形成。在这方面,越来越多的证据表明,由含NLR家族吡啉结构域3(NLRP3)炎性小体介导的炎症在瘢痕形成、心脏电不稳定和疾病进展中起关键作用。其次,全身和局部交感神经过度活跃显著导致电不稳定。炎症、心脏纤维化和交感神经过度活跃之间的相互作用长期以来一直被忽视。然而,为了开发新的、量身定制的药物策略,有必要深入了解室性心律失常的发病机制。因此,NLRP3炎性小体途径、自主神经失衡和心肌纤维化早期阶段可能是减轻不良心室重塑和室性心律失常负担的有前景的治疗靶点。基于多项证据,炎症在室性心律失常发病机制的假设性库梅尔心律失常三角中起触发作用,其中心室基质由心脏纤维化代表,有利的调节因素由交感神经过度活跃提供。