From Periodontal Inflammation to Atrial Fibrillation: Molecular Links Through Thrombospondin-1, Galectin-3, and SGLT2-Related Pathways

Description

Violeta Ariana Nicoras, Daniel Florin Lighezan, Horia Silviu Branea, and a wider team wrote this review paper, published in 2026. It gathers evidence on how gum disease might feed atrial fibrillation, the common heart rhythm disorder, through shared molecular pathways.

Gum disease starts with bacterial films under the gumline and destroys tissue there. The authors argue its effects do not stay in the mouth. Bacteria and their products slip into the blood, stoking body-wide inflammation, vessel damage, and clotting signals. Those same forces scar and remodel the heart's upper chambers, setting up the rhythm problem. The review gives close attention to three bridging players: a matrix protein, a sugar-binding protein tied to scarring, and a diabetes-related pathway. It weighs lab, marker, and clinical studies to judge how firm the bridge is.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13607839