The following is a summary of “Blood-based bioenergetics: a liquid biopsy of mitochondrial dysfunction in disease,” published in the  September 2023 issue of Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism by Wilkinson, et al.

Mitochondria are the metabolic hubs of the cell and play an essential part in the control of cellular metabolism. Mitochondria also provide energy for the cell. It is now generally known that damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria are significant components in developing various common human diseases. 

It is necessary to do invasive tissue biopsies to measure mitochondrial activity; peripheral blood cells, particularly platelets, have emerged as appealing candidates for examining mitochondrial function. The accessibility of the relevant pathology-related malfunction has been a driving force behind the proliferation of research into the role that platelets play in illness, the contribution of platelet mitochondria to pathophysiology, and the potential of platelets to reflect the overall mitochondrial health of the body.

Platelet mitochondrial bioenergetics are now the focus of study in the context of neurological and cardiac diseases, infections, diabetes, and other (patho)physiological circumstances, such as aging and pregnancy. This research is being conducted in the context of neurological and cardiac ailments. The preliminary findings of this study support the idea that platelets might be used as a biomarker for determining the health of the mitochondria.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043276023001157