Abstract Body: Background
The frequency and prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure are expected to increase over time, which are expected to result in enormous medical expenses and socioeconomic losses. Previous studies have confirmed that SGLT2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) reduces cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization rates in heart failure patients. Also, follow-up studies have been reported that the use of SGLT2i reduces atrial fibrillation, and its administration is recommended in clinical practice guidelines. In spite of beneficial effects of SGLT2i on atrial fibrillation, the exact mechanism by which SGLT2i reduces atrial fibrillation has not been revealed.
Methods
We performed experiments by creating an AF cell model using Ang II and an AF animal model using Acetylcholin-Calcium chloride. Fibrosis markers and calcium regulatory proteins were confirmed by Western blot, and the occurrence and burden of AF were evaluated by using a 1F catheter in animal models.
Results
In our cell studies and animal experiments, the inhibitory effect of SGLT2i administartion on atrial fibrillation was confirmed. First, fibrosis markers tend to reduce in atrial fibrillation models treated with SGLT2i, compared to non-treated atrial fibrillation models. In addition, the phosphorylation of the calcium handling proteins, such as CaMKII, RyR2, and PLB, increased in the AF group, whereas the degree of phosphorylation in SGLT2i treated group decreased to the phosphorylation level in control group.
Conclusion
In AF-induced cell and animal models, the effect of SGLT2i was shown to be highly effective against atrial fibrillation. In particular, the results indicate that administration of SGLT2i before inducing atrial fibrillation could bring out the preventive and therapeutic effects through amelioration of fibrosis and reduction of calcium handling proteins phosphorylation.