Platelet and Leukocyte Mitochondrial Function With Cardiac Function and Self-Reported Health Status Among Obese...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Mitochondrial Biology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Mitochondrial dysfunction is central to heart failure (HF), affecting both HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
• Direct measurement of cardiac mitochondrial function is challenging due to invasive procedures.
• Platelets and leukocytes offer accessible surrogates for assessing mitochondrial health in HF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between platelet and leukocyte mitochondrial function and cardiac parameters in obese HF patients.
• To explore the relationship between mitochondrial function and self-reported health status (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire - KCCQ).
• To determine if these relationships differ between HFrEF and HFpEF subtypes.

Main Methods:

• Assessed maximal enzymatic activities of platelet cytochrome c oxidase (COX) and citrate synthase (CS).
• Measured leukocyte mitochondrial mass, membrane potential, superoxide production, and apoptosis.
• Correlated mitochondrial function markers with echocardiographic data and KCCQ scores in 45 obese HF patients.

Main Results:

• Platelet COX activity correlated negatively with left ventricular end-systolic diameter.
• Leukocyte mitochondrial mass and superoxide production showed positive correlations with left ventricular mass and mass index, respectively.
• Leukocyte mitochondrial function markers were negatively associated with KCCQ summary scores, with variations between HFrEF and HFpEF.

Conclusions:

• Platelet and leukocyte mitochondrial function are linked to cardiac structure and patient-reported outcomes in HF.
• These findings support the use of platelets and leukocytes as accessible biomarkers for mitochondrial function in HF.
• Further research can validate these surrogates for early diagnosis and monitoring of mitochondrial-targeted therapies in HF.