Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Microbiome and Metabolism Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370565
Research Project: Impact of Maternal Influence and Early Dietary Factors on Child Growth, Development, and Metabolic Health

Location: Microbiome and Metabolism Research

Title: Cardiovascular disease risk factors and platelet mitochondrial function in school-age children

Author
item DIAZ, EVA - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item Ferruzzi, Mario
item YOUNG, CATARINA - Arkansas Children'S Hospital
item WEBER, JUDITH - University Arkansas For Medical Sciences (UAMS)
item BORSHEIM, ELISABET - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/31/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Platelets (PL) are an accessible source of human mitochondria (1). Thus, PL are advantageous when studying mitochondrial function in vulnerable populations. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated as contributing to various components of cardiometabolic diseases. The objective of this study was to measure the association between parameters of PL mitochondrial respiration and markers of cardiovascular disease risk [adiposity, fitness and blood pressure (BP)] in a sub-sample of school-age children participants of a larger study called Arkansas Active Kids. After overnight fasting, body composition (DXA), VO2peak (incremental cycle ergometer test), resting BP, and mitochondrial function of permeabilized platelets (high-resolution respirometry) were measured in 46 children. Routine respiration (R), fatty acid oxidation (F=octanoylcarnitine + ADP + malate), respiratory stimulation by simultaneous action of F plus NADH-linked complex (C) I substrates (F&CI=pyruvate, malate and glutamate), succinate (F&CI&CII), and glycerolphosphate (F&CI&CII&GpDH) were measured. Uncoupled electron transfer capacity (ETE, FCCP), CIIE&GpDHE respiration (rotenone), residual oxygen consumption (ROX, antimycin) and CIV activity were also measured. Flux control ratios were computed by normalizing to ET capacity in the presence of NADH-linked substrates. Data presented as mean ± SD and Spearman correlations (Rho). Children were 9 +/- 1 years old with an average BMI percentile (BMIp) of 59 +/- 30, and % fat mass (%FM) of 33 +/- 6% (range: 25 to 49%). Ten children (22%) had either elevated or stage 1 hypertension as defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Diastolic BP percentile, VO2peak (ml/kg-1 fat free mass-1), BMIP, and % fat mass (%FM) did not correlate with any parameter of platelet mitochondrial respiration. However, visceral fat area (cm2) correlated with FAO (Rho=0.35, P=0.017) and F&CI (Rho=0.30, P=0.043) while systolic BP correlated with F&CI&CII&GpDH (Rho=0.31, P=0.037) and ETE (Rho=0.43, P=0.003). in these preliminary analyses, markers of PL mitochondrial respiration positively correlated with classic markers of cardiovascular health (visceral adiposity and blood pressure). Interestingly, a body of literature is emerging to show platelets are not passive spectators, but they actively contribute to comorbidities in which inflammation is a hallmark (2). PL fatty acid oxidation of school-age children increased with increasing visceral adiposity while the convergent electron flow through the Q-junction increased with increasing systolic blood pressure.