We are pleased to share our latest work examining the effects of semaglutide and colchicine on atrial remodeling in a post-myocardial infarction model with reduced ejection fraction. In this study, we demonstrate that both agents attenuate key components of the atrial fibrillation substrate, with distinct effects on electrical, structural, and inflammatory remodeling pathways. These findings further support the concept that targeting atrial cardiomyopathy, rather than the arrhythmia itself, may represent an effective therapeutic strategy.

A central aspect of this work is the use of our implantable atrial pacing and recording system in freely moving rats. This platform allows longitudinal, high-resolution electrophysiological assessment in the unanesthetized state, enabling repeated measurements of atrial function over time. The ability to track dynamic changes in AF substrate within the same animal provided a level of precision and physiological relevance that would be difficult to achieve in rodents with conventional approaches.
We believe that this technological capability was critical for enabling these findings and several additional findings from our recent publications. More broadly, after years of development and refinement, this platform represents a step toward a new experimental paradigm for studying atrial fibrillation in rodents, with clear advantages in the reliability, longitudinal resolution, and physiological relevance of in vivo electrophysiological data.
Full paper:
https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euag091