Ventricular Arrhythmias and Fibrosis in Mice

Is interstitial fibrosis a contributor, among other factors, in the prognosis for patients at high risk for arrhythmias? Yes, according to a new study by Nguyen et al. In this podcast Deputy Editor Merry Lindsey (University of Mississippi Medical Center) interviews lead author Xiao-Jun Du (Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute) about his lab’s latest work exploring the interplay between ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac fibrosis, and the resulting functional consequences. Using a transgenic mouse model of spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias and employing detailed telemetry data analysis, Du and colleagues connected the increase in collagen content and collagen cross-linking with an increase over time in arrhythmia episodes. Is connexin 43 upregulated via cardiomyocytes or fibroblasts? Do interventions using antioxidative stress, such as treating with relaxin, reduce fibrosis and therefore reduce the incidents of arrhythmias? Listen to find out.

My-Nhan Nguyen, Helen Kiriazis, Diego Ruggiero, Xiao-Ming Gao, Yidan Su, Anne Jian, Li-Ping Han, Julie R McMullen, Xiao-Jun Du Spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias in β2-adrenoceptor transgenic mice in relation to cardiac interstitial fibrosis Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published online June 26, 2015, DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00405.2015.