Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia in clinical practice. Owing to its high morbidity and mortality, early diagnosis of AF plays an important clinical significance in treatment and prognosis. Galectin-3 (Gal-3), as a sensitive marker of inflammatory and oxidative stress found in recent years, is involved in the occurrence and development of myocardial inflammation and fibrosis, which is closely related to atrial remodeling. Gal-3 inhibitor may decrease the risk of AF by reversing myocardial remodeling, which may provide a new theoretical basis and research direction for the upstream treatment of AF.

Key words: atrial fibrillation, galectin-3, atrial remodeling, inhibitor, review