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Regional Cardiac Remodeling Signatures Across Atria and Ventricles Revealed by Vein of Marshall and Anterior
Jingqing Ma1, Jiali Yuan1, Yan Zhao1
1Department of Cardiology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
Insights
The Vein of Marshall (VOM) blood shows higher levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a key biomarker for atrial fibrillation. This finding suggests VOM blood reflects the atrial microenvironment, aiding future biomarker and therapeutic target discovery.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation incidence is rising, yet its mechanisms remain unclear.
- The Vein of Marshall (VOM), or left atrial oblique vein, collects blood from atrial tissue.
- VOM's role in atrial fibrillation pathogenesis is implicated but not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the Vein of Marshall's potential as a source for atrial fibrillation biomarkers.
- To analyze biochemical signals within VOM blood relevant to atrial fibrillation.
- To explore VOM's microenvironment in relation to atrial fibrillation.
Main Methods:
- Innovative use of over-the-wire (OTW) balloons to collect VOM blood samples pre-atrial fibrillation ablation.
- Biochemical analysis of collected blood samples.
- Quantification of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels in VOM, anterior interventricular vein (AIV), and coronary sinus (CS) blood.
Main Results:
- Significantly upregulated ANP concentration was observed in VOM blood compared to AIV and CS samples.
- VOM blood effectively captures atrial-specific biochemical signals.
- These findings indicate VOM blood represents the microenvironment associated with atrial fibrillation.
Conclusions:
- VOM blood serves as a valuable indicator of the atrial microenvironment in atrial fibrillation.
- This study provides scientific evidence supporting VOM blood analysis for future biomarker and therapeutic target identification.
- Further research into VOM's role could advance atrial fibrillation management.
Abstract:
The incidence rate of atrial fibrillation is increasing year by year, which is characterized by time progression, but its mechanism is unknown. Vein of Marshall (VOM), also known as the left atrial oblique vein, plays a crucial role in collecting venous return from atrial tissue. VOM originates from the posterior wall of the left atrium and is closely related to structures such as the left atrial appendage and pulmonary vein. VOM plays an important role in the occurrence and maintenance of atrial fibrillation, but there have been no other reports on its role in atrial fibrillation-related diseases. In this research, the authors innovatively used over-the-wire (OTW) balloons to collect blood samples from the VOM patients before atrial fibrillation ablation surgery for biochemical analysis. This study measured a recognized biomarker associated with the onset of atrial fibrillation: atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a biomarker of atrial stretching and structural remodeling, a biologically active natriuretic peptide that plays an important role in atrial fibrillation. Compared with samples from the anterior interventricular vein (AIV) and coronary sinus (CS), ANP concentration was significantly upregulated in VOM blood, indicating that VOM blood better captures atrial-specific biochemical signals. This research found that VOM blood provides a good representation of the microenvironment associated with atrial fibrillation, providing scientific evidence for the search for biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the future.
