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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a multifactorial sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and it is now considered a real worldwide public health issue. Despite the substantial progress that has been made in the detection and management of AF, the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with the onset of atrial fibrillation and its progression remain still unclear. Among these molecular mechanisms, the implication of the adenosinergic system in AF has increased, since the accumulation of experimental data suggests that the increase in the adenosine blood level and the remodeling expression of the adenosine receptors might be part of the AF pathophysiology. Unfortunately, the adenosinergic system still has a Janus face in cardiac arrythmias, since adenosine can have both antiarrhythmic or proarrhythmic actions, along with adenosine receptors, which can lead to either profibrotic or antifibrotic effects.
High adenosine plasma levels have been found in the left atria of patients during episodes of paroxysmal AF and in persistent AF [65]. The adenosine plasma concentrations then normalized after spontaneous or electrical cardioversion in sinus rhythm [65]. Moreover, the adenosine plasma concentrations in peripheric blood circulation were also higher in permanent AF compared to paroxysmal AF and controls [65]. The high adenosine plasma concentrations could be attributed to peripheral hypoxemia caused by the decrease in the left ventricular output in AF [65][66].
A high adenosine plasma concentration could also be a consequence of energy use in specific underlying cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension [67][68], chronic heart failure [69][70] or vagal syncope [71][72]. These are especially known to be AF risk factors. Interestingly, AF initiation has been described during the strong release of adenosine or the use of extrinsic adenosine injection [73][74].