MINI REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Cardiovascular Endocrinology
This article is part of the Research TopicGut Microbiota and Cardiovascular Endocrinology: Emerging InsightsView all 3 articles
Gut-Heart Axis Disruption and LPS Translocation: Driving Atrial Fibrillation through Inflammatory Storm and Fibrotic Mechanisms
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
- 2Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- 3Laoling People's Hospital, Dezhou, China
- 4Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, China
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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most prevalent arrhythmias in clinical practice, posing a significant threat to human health. The gut microbiota and its metabolites exert crucial effects on cardiovascular diseases via the gut-heart axis. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of Gram-negative bacterial cell walls, can enter the bloodstream when intestinal barrier function is compromised, triggering systemic inflammatory responses. Recent studies indicate that elevated LPS levels may increase the risk of AF onset through mechanisms such as promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, and myocardial fibrosis, and are associated with AF recurrence and poor prognosis. This review examines the role and mechanisms of LPS in the development and progression of AF, and explores potential strategies for preventing and treating AF by reducing LPS levels through approaches including gut microbiota modulation, anti-inflammatory diets, targeted inhibitors, and traditional Chinese medicine therapies.
Keywords: Atrial Fibrillation, Gut Microbiota, Inflammation, lipopolysaccharide, Oxidative Stress, Traditional Chinese Medicine
Received: 14 Jan 2026; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Wang, Xu, Wang, Zhang and Xiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hongjie Xiang
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