Thus the mechanism of the benefit of AF combination treatment is that it not only increased the availability of stem cells in peripheral blood through liberating stem cells to move out of the bone marrow via blocking the interaction of CXCR4 and SDF-1, but also promoted the recruitment of stem cells into the remnant liver by increasing SDF-1 expression (Fig. 7). This evidence concerns the gene CXCL12 and atrial fibrillation.