Platelet mitochondrial dysfunction and the correlation with human diseases

The platelet is considered as an accessible and valuable tool to study mitochondrial function, owing to its greater content of fully functional mitochondria compared with other metabolically active organelles. Different lines of studies have demonstrated that mitochondria in platelets have function far more than thrombogenesis regulation, and beyond hemostasis, platelet mitochondrial dysfunction has also been used for studying mitochondrial-related diseases. In this review, the interplay between platelet mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, mitochondrial DNA lesions, electron transfer chain impairments, mitochondrial apoptosis and mitophagy has been outlined. Meanwhile, considerable efforts have been made towards understanding the role of platelet mitochondrial dysfunction in human diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, sepsis and neurodegenerative disorders. Alongside this, we have also articulated our perspectives on the development of potential biomarkers of platelet mitochondrial dysfunction in mitochondrial-related diseases.