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Macrophage IL-1β mediates atrial fibrillation risk in diabetic mice
Xiaoxu Zhou, Hong Liu, Feng Feng, Gyeoung-Jin Kang, Man Liu, Yugene Guo, Samuel C. Dudley Jr.
Xiaoxu Zhou, Hong Liu, Feng Feng, Gyeoung-Jin Kang, Man Liu, Yugene Guo, Samuel C. Dudley Jr.
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Research Article Cardiology Inflammation

Macrophage IL-1β mediates atrial fibrillation risk in diabetic mice

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Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). The mechanisms underlying DM-associated AF are unclear. AF and DM are both related to inflammation. We investigated whether DM-associated inflammation contributed to AF risk. Mice were fed with high-fat diet to induce type II DM and were subjected to IL-1β antibodies, macrophage depletion by clodronate liposomes, a mitochondrial antioxidant (mitoTEMPO), or a cardiac ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) stabilizer (S107). All tests were performed at 36–38 weeks of age. DM mice presented with increased AF inducibility, enhanced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mitoROS) generation, and activated innate immunity in the atria, as evidenced by enhanced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression, macrophage infiltration, and IL-1β levels. Signs of aberrant RyR2 Ca2+ leak were observed in the atria of DM mice. IL-1β neutralization, macrophage depletion, and exposure to mitoTEMPO and S107 significantly ameliorated the AF vulnerability in DM mice. Atrial overexpression of MCP-1 increased AF occurrence in normal mice through the same mechanistic signaling cascade as observed in DM mice. In conclusion, macrophage-mediated IL-1β contributed to DM-associated AF risk through mitoROS modulation of RyR2 Ca2+ leak.

Authors

Xiaoxu Zhou, Hong Liu, Feng Feng, Gyeoung-Jin Kang, Man Liu, Yugene Guo, Samuel C. Dudley Jr.

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Figure 1

AF inducibility in DM mice.

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AF inducibility in DM mice.
HFD-induced (A) high fasting glucose level a...
HFD-induced (A) high fasting glucose level and (B) obesity in mice. Echocardiographic evaluation indicated (C) preserved ejection fraction and (D) an increased ratio of transmitral Doppler early filling velocity to tissue Doppler early diastolic mitral annual velocity (E/E′). (E) Left atrial diameter by echocardiography and (F) atrial collagen I level by immunoblotting were comparable between control and DM mice. N = 5–6 mice per group. (G) DM mice had higher AF inducibility compared with the control mice; IL-1β–neutralizing antibody or mitochondrial antioxidant (mitoTEMPO) inhibited AF inducibility in DM mice. N is indicated within the bars. (H) Representative surface and intracardiac ECG traces showing induced AF in DM mice; arrows indicate the end of programmed stimulation. Scale bar: 100 ms. Data are shown as the mean ± SEM. Unpaired t test (A–F) or Fisher’s exact test (G) were used. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. AF, atrial fibrillation; Ctrl, control; DM, diabetes mellitus; EF, ejection fraction; HFD, high-fat diet; LA, left atrium; MT, mitoTEMPO.

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