Inflammatory cytokines.
TGF-β1, TNF-α
Atrial tissue was minced and homogenized using a tissue homogenizer (TissueRuptor, QIAGEN) according to the manufacturer protocol. Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were measured using a multiplex Luminex-based assay (LXSARM, R&D Systems). Each sample was run in duplicate in a 96-well plate. IL-1β, IL-2, IL-18, and TNF-α were measured using a MAGPIX system (C4447b, Luminex). Acquired mean fluorescence data were analyzed and calculated by xPONENT software. IL-6 (ERA32RB, Invitrogen), TGF-β1 (ab119558, Abcam), PDGF-AB (ab213906, Abcam), and MCP-1 (ab100778, Abcam) were quantified using commercially available ELISAs according to the manufacturers’ protocols.