Enhanced CaMKII-Dependent Late I Na Induces Atrial Proarrhythmic Activity in Patients With Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Rationale: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is frequently associated with atrial arrhythmias. Increased CaMKII (Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) activity has been previously implicated in atrial arrhythmogenesis. Objective: We hypothesized that CaMKII-dependent dysregulation of Na current (I Na ) may contribute to atrial proarrhythmic activity in patients with SDB. Methods and Results: We prospectively enrolled 113 patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting for cross-sectional study and collected right atrial appendage biopsies. The presence of SDB (defined as apnea-hypopnea index ≥15/h) was assessed with a portable SDB monitor the night before surgery. Compared with 56 patients without SDB, patients with SDB (57) showed a significantly increased level of activated CaMKII. Patch clamp was used to measure I Na . There was a significantly enhanced late I Na , but reduced peak I Na due to enhanced steady-state inactivation in atrial myocytes of patients with SDB consistent with significantly increased CaMKII-dependent cardiac Na channel phosphorylation (Na V 1.5, at serine 571, Western blotting). These gating changes could be fully reversed by acute CaMKII inhibition (AIP autocamtide-2 related inhibitory peptide). As a consequence, we observed significantly more cellular afterdepolarizations and more severe premature atrial contractions in atrial trabeculae of patients with SDB, which could be blocked by either AIP or KN93 (N-2-[[[(E)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)prop-2-enyl-methylamino]methyl]phenyl]-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methoxybenzenesulfonamide). In multivariable linear regression models incorporating age, sex, body mass index, existing atrial fibrillation, existing heart failure, diabetes mellitus, and creatinine levels, apnea-hypopnea index was independently associated with increased CaMKII activity, enhanced late I Na and correlated with premature atrial contraction severity. Conclusions: In atrial myocardium of patients with SDB, increased CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of Na V 1.5 results in dysregulation of I Na with proarrhythmic activity that was independent from preexisting comorbidities. Inhibition of CaMKII may be useful for prevention or treatment of arrhythmias in SDB. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02877745. Visual Overview: An online visual overview is available for this article.