Further Advances in Atrial Fibrillation Research: A Metabolomic Perspective

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation involves an important type of heart arrhythmia caused by a lack of control in the electrical signals that arrive in the heart, produce an irregular auricular contraction, and induce blood clotting, which finally can lead to stroke. Atrial fibrillation presents some specific characteristics, but it has been treated and prevented using conventional methods similar to those applied to other cardiovascular diseases. However, due to the influence of this pathology on the mortality caused by cerebrovascular accidents, further studies on the molecular mechanism of atrial fibrillation are required. Our aim here is provide a compressive review of the use of metabolomics on this condition, from the study of the metabolic profile of plasma to the development of animal models. In summary, most of the reported studies highlighted alterations in the energetic pathways related to the development of the condition.