BMP2 Diminishes Angiotensin II-Induced Atrial Fibrillation by Inhibiting NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling in Atrial Fibroblasts

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia to affect 1% of the global population and increases with age. Atrial fibrosis is a crucial substrate for promoting structural remodeling to cause atrial arrhythmogenesis. Bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2) has been reported to be involved in cardiac fibrogenesis. However, its role in modulating atrial fibrosis to affect AF development remains unknown. Our study aimed to investigate the expression of BMP2 under different AF conditions and the effect of BMP2 on the progression of atrial fibrosis using an angiotensin II (Ang II) rat model and an ex vivo cardiac fibroblast model. The qRT-PCR and Western blot assay showed increased