{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,10]],"date-time":"2026-05-10T10:08:21Z","timestamp":1778407701373,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Brieflands","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,14]],"date-time":"2026-03-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773446400000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["brieflands.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Iran J Pharm Res"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The gut-heart axis, particularly the role of gut microbiota and the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, is increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). While probiotics show therapeutic potential, their mechanism in AF remains unclear. Objectives: This study investigates whether probiotics mitigate AF pathology by restoring gut microbiota homeostasis and inhibiting NLRP3 activation. Methods: An AF model was induced in rats via acetylcholine (ACH)\/CaCl\u2082 infusion. Animals were divided into five groups: Sham, AF, AF+Probiotics, AF+MCC950 (NLRP3 inhibitor), and AF+Probiotics+MCC950. We analyzed gut microbiota (16S rRNA sequencing), serum short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; GC-MS), and the expression of NLRP3 pathway components [NLRP3, caspase-1, interleukin-1\u03b2 (IL-1\u03b2)] and AF biomarkers [pentraxin 3 (PTX3), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-\u03b1), chemerin, galectin-3 (Gal-3)] via immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blot, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: Atrial fibrillation rats exhibited gut dysbiosis, characterized by reduced diversity (Shannon index significantly decreased vs. Sham, P &lt; 0.01), decreased beneficial bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus), and lower SCFA levels (acetic, propionic, and butyric acids reduced by 40 - 50%, P &lt; 0.05). Probiotics restored microbial diversity, increased SCFA production (to levels comparable to Sham, P &lt; 0.05), and suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation, as evidenced by reduced levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1\u03b2 (protein and mRNA expression decreased by 50 - 70%, P &lt; 0.01). Consequently, the expression of key AF biomarkers was significantly downregulated (PTX3, IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, chemerin, Gal-3 reduced by 40 - 60%, P &lt; 0.05). The combined intervention of probiotics and MCC950 yielded the most pronounced effects (all markers further reduced vs. either treatment alone, P &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: Probiotics alleviate AF-related inflammation and biomarker expression, potentially by modulating the gut microbiota and inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. These findings highlight the gut-heart axis as a promising target for AF management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5812\/ijpr-168612","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,10]],"date-time":"2026-05-10T09:12:16Z","timestamp":1778404336000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5812\/crossmark_update_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Probiotics Ameliorate Atrial Fibrillation-Associated Biomarkers and Inflammation in Rats via Modulation of the Gut Microbiota and NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway"],"prefix":"10.5812","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Yeran","family":"Zhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Long","family":"Bai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ruibin","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yichen","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hongxia","family":"Hou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jidong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"3819","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"key-A168612REF1-1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1161\/01.CIR.0000140263.20897.42"},{"key":"key-A168612REF2-2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rec.2024.04.005"},{"key":"key-A168612REF3-3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1161\/CIR.0000000000001207"},{"key":"key-A168612REF4-4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7861\/clinmed.2023-23.5.Cardio2"},{"key":"key-A168612REF5-5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/gutjnl-2021-326789"},{"key":"key-A168612REF6-6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2022.02.023"},{"key":"key-A168612REF7-7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lfs.2018.10.063"},{"key":"key-A168612REF8-8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00380-020-01669-y"},{"key":"key-A168612REF9-9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cvr\/cvab292"},{"key":"key-A168612REF10-10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/anec.13059"},{"key":"key-A168612REF11-11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1161\/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.035202"},{"key":"key-A168612REF12-12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jacc.2022.03.379"},{"key":"key-A168612REF13-13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/cmi.2015.95"},{"key":"key-A168612REF14-14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4014\/jmb.1906.06064"},{"key":"key-A168612REF15-15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2021.777665"},{"key":"key-A168612REF16-16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12967-022-03585-3"},{"key":"key-A168612REF17-17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/gigascience\/giz058"},{"key":"key-A168612REF18-18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSphere.00071-20"},{"key":"key-A168612REF19-19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cell.2020.02.016"},{"key":"key-A168612REF20-20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2023.1273524"},{"key":"key-A168612REF21-21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2021.1897212"},{"key":"key-A168612REF22-22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms9112376"}],"container-title":["Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/brieflands.com\/journals\/ijpr\/articles\/168612","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/brieflands.com\/journals\/ijpr\/articles\/168612","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,10]],"date-time":"2026-05-10T09:12:16Z","timestamp":1778404336000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/brieflands.com\/journals\/ijpr\/articles\/168612"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]]}},"alternative-id":["36174e6cdb20bde55d86a13129a62ad1c8585810"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5812\/ijpr-168612","relation":{},"ISSN":["1726-6890"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1726-6890","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]]}}}