Interleukin-6: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives in Atrial Fibrillation

Jin-Fang Yu^#^{1

2

3

4

5}, Qian Dong^#^{1

2

3

4

5}, Yi-Mei Du^{6

7

8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
² Research Center of Ion Channelopathy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
³ Institute of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
⁴ Key Lab for Biological Targeted Therapy of Education Ministry and Hubei Province, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
⁵ Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center of Immunological Diagnosis and Therapy for Cardiovascular Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
⁶ Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
⁷ Research Center of Ion Channelopathy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
⁸ Institute of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
⁹ Key Lab for Biological Targeted Therapy of Education Ministry and Hubei Province, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center of Immunological Diagnosis and Therapy for Cardiovascular Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 40035997
DOI: 10.1007/s11596-025-00021-7

Review

Interleukin-6: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives in Atrial Fibrillation

Jin-Fang Yu et al. Curr Med Sci. 2025 Apr.

. 2025 Apr;45(2):157-168.

doi: 10.1007/s11596-025-00021-7. Epub 2025 Mar 4.

Authors

Jin-Fang Yu^#^{1

2

3

4

5}, Qian Dong^#^{1

2

3

4

5}, Yi-Mei Du^{6

7

8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
² Research Center of Ion Channelopathy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
³ Institute of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
⁴ Key Lab for Biological Targeted Therapy of Education Ministry and Hubei Province, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
⁵ Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center of Immunological Diagnosis and Therapy for Cardiovascular Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
⁶ Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
⁷ Research Center of Ion Channelopathy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
⁸ Institute of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
⁹ Key Lab for Biological Targeted Therapy of Education Ministry and Hubei Province, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center of Immunological Diagnosis and Therapy for Cardiovascular Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. yimeidu@mail.hust.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 40035997
DOI: 10.1007/s11596-025-00021-7

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia with a multifactorial pathophysiology involving electrical, structural, and autonomic remodeling of the atria. AF is closely associated with elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, which contribute to atrial remodeling and the progression of AF. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which IL-6 promotes AF through inflammatory pathways, atrial fibrosis, electrical remodeling, and calcium mishandling. Experimental models have demonstrated that IL-6 neutralization reduces the incidence of AF, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target. Future studies should focus on IL-6 blockade strategies to manage AF, aiming to improve patient outcomes.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Atrial remodeling; Inflammation; Interleukin-6; Therapeutic targets.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate: This review relies solely on analysis of existing literature and does not include new experimental research; therefore, ethical approval and participant consent are not required. Human Ethics: This review relies solely on analysis of existing literature and does not include new experimental research; therefore, ethical approval and participant consent are not required. Consent for Publication: We collectively agree to submit this paper for publication in Current Medical Science and confirm that it has not been submitted to any other journal.

References

1. Linz D, Gawalko M, Betz K, et al. Atrial fibrillation: epidemiology, screening and digital health. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2024;37:100786.
1. Hu D, Barajas-Martinez H, Zhang ZH, et al. Advances in basic and translational research in atrial fibrillation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2023;378(1879):20220174.
1. Brooks S, Metzner A, Wohlmuth P, et al. Insights into ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation: Lessons from 6-year clinical outcomes. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2018;29(2):257–263. - PubMed
1. Hunter CA, Jones SA. IL-6 as a keystone cytokine in health and disease. Nat Immunol. 2015;16(5):448–457. - PubMed
1. Guo Y, Lip GYH, Apostolakis S. Inflammation in atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;60(22):2263–2270. - PubMed

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Interleukin-6: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives in Atrial Fibrillation

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Interleukin-6: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives in Atrial Fibrillation

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