Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2025
Preparation of Washed Human Platelets for Quantitative Metabolic Flux Studies
Published on: January 10, 2025
Non-Traditional Pathways for Platelet Pathophysiology in Diabetes: Implications for Future Therapeutic Targets
Rebecca C Sagar1, Ramzi A Ajjan1, Khalid M Naseem1
1Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
Insights
Platelets in diabetes contribute to cardiovascular disease not just through clotting, but also by promoting inflammation and immune cell interactions. Understanding these platelet reprogramming mechanisms is key to developing better diabetes treatments.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Immunology
- Metabolic Disease
Background:
- Cardiovascular complications are the primary cause of death in diabetes.
- Hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance, and dyslipidaemia in diabetes lead to abnormal platelet function and increased thrombotic risk.
- Platelets also contribute to low-grade inflammation and interact with immune cells, exacerbating vascular thrombo-inflammatory pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of platelets in inflammatory and immune processes in diabetes.
- To highlight how platelet reprogramming in diabetes contributes to cardiovascular risk.
- To discuss mechanistic pathways for platelet-induced vascular pathology.
Main Methods:
- This is a narrative review.
- It synthesizes existing evidence on platelet function in diabetes.
- It discusses molecular and cellular pathways involved.
Main Results:
- Platelets in diabetes exhibit hyperactivity, increasing thrombotic risk.
- Platelets actively participate in low-grade inflammation.
- Platelet interactions with immune cells drive vascular thrombo-inflammatory processes.
Conclusions:
- Platelets play a multifaceted role in diabetes-associated cardiovascular disease, extending beyond thrombosis to include significant inflammatory and immune contributions.
- Understanding platelet reprogramming in diabetes is crucial for developing targeted therapies.
- Effective management strategies should address the root causes of platelet dysfunction in diabetes.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular complications remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with diabetes, driven by interlinked metabolic, inflammatory, and thrombotic changes. Hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance/deficiency, dyslipidaemia, and associated oxidative stress have been linked to abnormal platelet function leading to hyperactivity, and thus increasing vascular thrombotic risk. However, emerging evidence suggests platelets also contribute to low-grade inflammation and additionally possess the ability to interact with circulating immune cells, further driving vascular thrombo-inflammatory pathways. This narrative review highlights the role of platelets in inflammatory and immune processes beyond typical thrombotic effects and the impact these mechanisms have on cardiovascular disease in diabetes. We discuss pathways for platelet-induced inflammation and how platelet reprogramming in diabetes contributes to the high cardiovascular risk that characterises this population. Fully understanding the mechanistic pathways for platelet-induced vascular pathology will allow for the development of more effective management strategies that deal with the causes rather than the consequences of platelet function abnormalities in diabetes.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
01:22Formation of the Platelet Plug
As the injured blood vessel contracts, endothelial cells undergo contraction, revealing collagen fibers in the basement membrane and underlying connective tissue. Furthermore, the plasma membrane of endothelial cells becomes adhesive, preparing the site for platelet adhesion. Platelets...
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
01:30Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
01:30Peripheral Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:18Structure and Function of Platelets
Platelets are continually replenished, circulating in the bloodstream for 9-12 days before being removed by phagocytes, primarily in the spleen. A microliter of circulating blood contains between 150,000 and 450,000...