Antimicrobial Natural Product Berberine Is Efficacious for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of bioactive natural product berberine in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Data of 45 paroxysmal AF patients treated with berberine and 43 age, gender, New York Heart Association functional classification score, and concomitant cardiovascular disease matched patients treated with amiodarone were analyzed retrospectively to examine conversion rate, average conversion time, average heart rate, and echocardiographic parameters. There was no statistical difference between berberine and amiodarone on conversion rate or echocardiographic parameters. Berberine treatment showed a significantly longer average time to conversion and higher heart rate during sinus rhythm (SR) than amiodarone. Echocardiographic parameters showed that E/A ratio and left atrial diameter were significantly improved after 6- and 12-month berberine treatment, but only E/A ratio improved significantly at the same time points after amiodarone treatment. This is the first report to specifically compare efficacy of berberine and amiodarone in the treatment of patients with AF. We find that berberine and amiodarone are equally effective for conversion of AF and maintenance of normal SR.

Mechanism of Action of Zhi Gan Cao Decoction for Atrial Fibrillation and Myocardial Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Atrial Fibrillation: A Network Pharmacology-Based Study

“…The fact that berberine benefits the management of AF is worth exploring. Besides, berberine has been clinically confirmed to be beneficial to AF treatment [ 37 ]. The existing studies have found that berberine inhibits AF by increasing the suitable refractory time of the atrium and elongating the atrial myocyte action potential duration [ 38 ].…”

Anticancer Effects and Mechanisms of Berberine from Medicinal Herbs: An Update Review

“…In addition, Helicobacter hepaticus could translocate from the intestine to breast tissues and promote the progression of breast cancer [ 45 ]. On the other hand, berberine is widely used as an antimicrobial drug for the treatment of diarrheal infection [ 46 , 47 ] and shows antimicrobial activities against several microorganisms, such as Helicobacter pylori , Candida albicans , and Klebsiella pneumoniae [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. Therefore, we could speculate that berberine might play the anticancer role via inhibiting intratumoral microbes and regulating gut microbiota.…”

Research Progress on Natural Products’ Therapeutic Effects on Atrial Fibrillation by Regulating Ion Channels

“…In clinical trials, Zheng et al [ 71 ] conducted a retrospective cohort study of 88 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Forty-five patients orally took berberine (the average dose of 1.3 g/day for one year), and 43 patients orally took amiodarone (0.2 g tid for the first week, 0.2 g bid for the second one, and 0.2 g for the following weeks, lasted for one year).…”