Table 1 Reported alterations in gut microbes and metabolites in various AF cohorts

Zuo et al. [28]

AF (n = 50);

controls (n = 50)

Metagenomic and metabolomic analyses

AF compared with controls:

Elevation in microbial diversity

Increased: Ruminococcus, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus

Decreased: Faecalibacterium, Alistipes, Oscillibacter, and Bilophila

AF compared with controls:

Decreased: cholic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linolenic acid

Zuo et al. [29]

psAF:

Persistence > 12 months (n = 8);

Persistence < 12 months (n = 12);

controls (n = 20)

Metagenomic and metabolomic analyses

psAF compared with controls:

Elevation in microbial diversity

Increased: Blautia, Dorea, and Coprococcus

Decreased: Butyricicoccus and Paraprevotella

psAF compared with controls:

Increased: stearamide, octadecanedioic acid, and lysophosphatidylcholine

Decreased: oleic acid, choline, and some amino acids

Zuo et al. [30]

PAF (n = 30);

psAF (n = 20);

controls (n = 50)

Metagenomic and metabolomic analyses

AF (including PAF and psAF) compared with controls:

Increased: Ruminococcus and Streptococcus

Decreased: Prevotella copri and Prevotella copri CAG:164

AF (including PAF and psAF) compared with controls:

Increased: chenodeoxycholic acid

Decreased: α-linolenic acid

Li et al. [31]

RAF (n = 17);

non-RAF (n = 23);

controls (n = 50)

Metagenomic and metabolomic analyses

AF (including non-RAF and RAF) compared with controls:

Elevated gut microbial diversity

Increased: Ruminococcus, Blautia, Dorea and Dialister

Decreased: Prevotella

AF (including non-RAF and RAF) compared with controls:

Increased: lysophosphatidylethanolamine, chenodeoxycholic acid and sebacic acid

Decreased: α-linolenic acid

Xu et al. [32]

A Chinese population with 1475 participants

16S rRNA

Increased: Burkholderiales and Alcaligenaceae

Decreased: Lachnobacterium, Bacteroides coprophilus, Barnesiellaceae, an undefined genus in the family Veillonellaceae and Mitsuokella

–

Tabata et al. [36]

AF ablation patients (n = 34);

controls (n = 66)

16S rRNA

AF compared with controls:

Richness was lower; diversity did not differ

Increased: Parabacteroides, Lachnoclostridium, Streptococcus, and Alistipes

Decreased: Enterobacter

–

Huang et al. [33]

AF ablation patients (n = 36);

controls (n = 30)

16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and nontargeted metabolomic detection

AF compared with controls:

Richness and diversity increased

Increased: opportunistic pathogenic bacteria, such as Klebsiella, Haemophilus, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus

Decreased: symbiotic bacteria, such as Agathobacter and Butyrivibrio;

After catheter ablation:

Species richness and diversity did not change significantly in the short-term

Increased: symbiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus, Agathobacter, Lachnospira, etc.)

Decreased: pathogenic bacteria (Ruminococcus, etc.)

AF compared with controls:

Decreased: caffeine

After catheter ablation:

Increased: citrulline

Decreased: oleanolic acid

Fang et al. [37]

High thromboembolic risk [CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 2 (males) or CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 3 (females)] (n = 32);

low thromboembolic risk [CHA2DS2-VASc score < 2 (males) or CHA2DS2-VASc score < 3 (females)] (n = 18)

Metagenomic

High thromboembolic risk:

Increased gut microbial diversity

Increased: Bacteroides

Decreased: Prevotella

–

Zuo et al. [38]

AF (n = 50);

controls (n = 50)

Metagenomic

AF compared with controls:

Elevated gut viral diversity

Increased: Secoviridae and Fimoviridae; Synechococcus phage S-SM1, Cronobacter phage CR5, and Staphylococcus phage SPbeta-like

–

Palmu et al. [34]

Prevalent AF (n = 116); incident AF (n = 539); total individuals (n = 6763)

Metagenomic

No statistically significant differences in gut microbiome alpha or beta diversity

Prevalent AF compared with total individuals:

Increased: Eisenbergiella, Enorma, Enterobacter, and Kluyvera

Decreased: Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Holdemanella, Parabacteroides, and Turicibacter

Incident AF compared with individuals with prevalent AF excluded:

Increased: Bifidobacterium, Enorma, Lactococcus, Mitsuokella, and Sellimonas

Decreased: Tyzzerella, Hungatella, and Sanguibacteroides

–

Wang et al. [35]

POAF patients (n = 45); controls (n = 90)

16S rRNA

POAF compared with controls:

The alpha diversity was higher in POAF patients

Increased: Lachnospira, Acinetobacter, Veillonella and Aeromonas

Decreased: Escherichia-Shigella, Klebsiella, Streptococcus, Brevundimonas and Citrobacter

POAF compared with controls:

Decreased: plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D