Abstract Body: Introduction: Aging is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). We recently revealed a critical role of activated cardiac stress kinase JNK2 in AF risk. Yet, the mechanisms underlying JNK2 activation in the aged heart remain unclear. Emerging evidence suggests that organ crosstalk critically contributes to the development of heart diseases. Interestingly, increased AF episodes were clinically observed in patients with active gastrointestinal (GI) diseases (with a hallmark of enhanced intestinal epithelial barrier permeability (‘leaky gut’), but reduced AF during remission. While both GI dysfunction and enhanced AF risk are seen in aged humans and animal models, whether aging-associated leaky gut leads to AF pathogenesis through activated JNK2 remains unknown.

Methods: To assess the leaky gut and AF link, young (Yg, 2 mo) wildtype (WT) and JNK2dn mice (cardiac-specific overexpression of inactive dominant negative (dn) JNK2) were used for aged fecal matter transplant (FMT), while aged (Ag, 24 mo) mice were transplanted with Yg fecal matter to rescue aging-associated AF. Atrial tachycardia/fibrillation (AT/AF) incidence was measured using our well-established protocol, and GI permeability was measured using a serum dextran (4-kDa) FITC fluorescence assay 7 days post-FMT.

Results: Aged WT mice had an elevated FITC level (4.9±1.5 µg/ml vs 0.98±0.04 µg/ml; n=11,8; p<0.01) with increased AT/AF inducibility compared to Yg mice (n=7,10; p<0.05). Interestingly, Yg WT recipients subjected to aged FMT (Ag-to-Yg) exhibited an ~3-fold increase in GI permeability (n=14; p<0.01) and significantly enhanced AT/AF inducibility relative to Yg sham controls (8 of 13 vs 0 of 10; p<0.05), while Yg-to-Yg FMT did not alter GI permeability and AT/AF inducibility in Yg recipients (0 of 5, p=NS). Strikingly, cardiac-specific JNK2 inhibition prevented aged-FMT-caused AT/AF in Yg JNK2dn recipient mice (0 of 10; p<0.01), suggesting that activated cardiac JNK2 underlies leaky gut-evoked AF in aging. Further, Yg-to-Ag FMT eliminated aged-associated AT/AF inducibility in aged recipients (0 of 6).

Conclusion: Aging-associated GI dysfunction enhances cardiac JNK2 activation, which in turn drives AF risk. Targeting cardiac JNK2 could be a novel anti-AF therapeutic strategy.