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2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:10
Scientific news continues with all its force and is full of surprises. The latest discovery is perhaps the most astonishing and unexpected and concerns human blood that we thought we knew well. So, a team of researchers from Inserm has just discovered a new blood component: extracellular mitochondria.
New blood component discovered by a French team
The presence of complete and functional mitochondria in the bloodstream has just been discovered for the first time thanks to a team of scientists from Inserm. They tested around 100 plasma samples using electron microscopy and thus detected mitochondria freely present in the bloodstream.
Playing a vital role for intercellular communication and for the cell in general, mitochondria are indeed well-known organelles but until now it was believed that they were only found inside the cell. Mitochondria also have the specificity of having their own genome which is transmitted only by the mother.
The revolutionary revelation of this new blood component therefore gives the green light to many other therapeutic studies, especially in terms of improving the diagnosis, immune responses and the treatment of certain diseases such as cancer. What is more, these extracellular organelles give rise to a new hypothesis regarding communication between cells.
For information, other recent studies confirm that some cells can exchange mitochondria with each other.
Mitochondria are considered the lungs of our cells
In addition to its role as a new component of the blood, mitochondria also have other fascinating functions such as the ability to capture and release calcium.
Often described as a “fountain of youth”, they have the mechanism of renewing themselves, a function that is currently poorly understood but which does not cease to arouse great curiosity.