Decreased plasma musclin levels are associated with potential atrial fibrillation in non-diabetic patients

Abstract

Background: Musclin is involved in the regulation of natriuretic peptide (NP) clearance and may affect the concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). It has also been found to play an important role in several diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Both abnormalities in ANP and associated medical history are involved in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, plasma concentration of musclin as a biomarker for risk stratification in patients with AF has not been fully investigated.Methods: Plasma musclin levels were measured in 290 patients with AF (including 199 paroxysmal AF patients and 91 persistent AF patients) and 120 control subjects. The association between plasma musclin levels and AF onset, as well as its predictive effects on clinical outcomes after cryoballoon ablation were analyzed.Results: AF patients were found to have a lower concentration of plasma musclin than healthy controls.Moreover, in the non-diabetic group and normal N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level group, the association between lower plasma concentration of musclin and AF remained significant.According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the optimal cut-off point of musclin for predicting AF onset was 54.94 ng/mL, which had a sensitivity of 81.67% and a specificity of 31.47%[area under the ROC curve (AUC) =60.71%]. In follow-up studies, both diabetes and left atrial size were independent predictors of AF recurrence after ablation, while musclin showed only a modest relationship with the outcome of cryoballoon ablation.Conclusions: Our data indicated that decreased musclin was associated with the onset of AF. Moreover, lower plasma levels of musclin were an independent risk factor of AF in non-diabetic patients. Our studies suggest that musclin could be a predictive factor for the onset of AF.

The muscle-enriched myokine Musclin impairs beige fat thermogenesis and systemic energy homeostasis via Tfr1/PKA signaling in male mice

“…More recently, Musclin was shown to function as an exercise-responsive myokine 40 , to attenuate the pathogenesis and progression of several cardiovascular diseases including heart failure during pathological overload 41 , hypertension 42 , cardiac remodeling and congestive heart failure after myocardial infarction 43 , and chronic doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity 44 in animal models. In addition, low circulating Musclin levels are associated with adverse prognosis of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) 45 , and potential atrial fibrillation in non-diabetic patients 46 . Taken together, these findings demonstrate the tissue-specific and context-dependent roles of Musclin under physiological and pathological conditions.…”

Bioinformatics and functional experiments reveal that MRC2 inhibits atrial fibrillation via the PPAR signaling pathway

“…The presence of a chronic inflammatory state in DM patients with AF further complicates the disease course. A history of DM was identified as one of the components of high-risk AF, and early reporting of biomarkers facilitates its clinical detection ( 11 ). And a study proved that ELABELA (peptide hormone essential for cardiac development) is a protective factor in patients with cardiac arrhythmias and can be used as a prognostic marker for AF and its associated complications ( 12 ).…”