Gut Microbiota in Patients with Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Off-Pump Coronary Bypass Graft Surgery

Yang Wang; Yuanchen He; Rui Li; Hui Jiang; Dengshun Tao; Keyan Zhao; Zongtao Yin; Jian Zhang; Huishan Wang

doi:10.3390/jcm12041493

Gut Microbiota in Patients with Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Off-Pump Coronary Bypass Graft Surgery

J Clin Med. 2023 Feb 13;12(4):1493. doi: 10.3390/jcm12041493.

Authors

Yang Wang¹, Yuanchen He^{1

2}, Rui Li^{1

3}, Hui Jiang¹, Dengshun Tao¹, Keyan Zhao¹, Zongtao Yin¹, Jian Zhang¹, Huishan Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, No. 83, Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang 110016, China.
² Postgraduate Training Base of Northern Theater Command General Hospital, Dalian Medical University, No. 9, Lvshun Wesztern South Road, Lvshunkou District, Dalian 116044, China.
³ Postgraduate Training Base of Northern Theater Command General Hospital, China Medical University, No. 83, Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang 110016, China.

Abstract

Background: Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is one of the most common complications of cardiac surgery. However, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Alterations in the gut microbiota are associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between gut microbiota and POAF.

Methods: Fecal samples were collected before surgery from 45 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with POAF and 90 matched patients without POAF (1:2). 16S rRNA sequencing was used to detect the microbiome profiles of 45 POAF patients and 89 matched patients (one sample in the no-POAF group was deleted owing to low quality after sequencing). Plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D level was measured by ELISA.

Results: Compared to the patients without POAF, gut microbiota composition was remarkably changed in the patients with POAF, with an increase in Lachnospira, Acinetobacter, Veillonella and Aeromonas, and a decrease in Escherichia-Shigella, Klebsiella, Streptococcus, Brevundimonas and Citrobacter. Furthermore, plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were decreased in POAF patients and negatively correlated with an abundance of Lachnospira.

Conclusions: The gut microbiota composition between patients with and without POAF is significantly different, implying that gut microbiota may play a role in the pathogenesis of POAF. Further studies are needed to fully clarify the role of gut microbiota in the initiation of AF.

Keywords: 16S rRNA; coronary artery bypass grafting; dysbiosis; gut microbiota; post-operative atrial fibrillation; vitamin D.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Sciences Fund Project of China (81970310, 82070239 and 82170328), Provincial Key R & D Program (2021JH2/10300082 and 2022JH2101500030) and National Scientific Research Foundation of Liaoning Province in China (2020-MS-036).