The role of mitochondrial dynamics in cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide nowadays (World Health Organization, 2021). They represent a group of disorders that affect the heart and the vascular system, characterised by the death of myocytes, i.e. the specialised cells of the cardiovascular system, which leads to permanent tissue damage and, potentially, the death of the organism. On a molecular level, the onset of several cardiovascular disorders might be linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. These organelles are responsible for ATP production, calcium homeostasis, and apoptosis, all of which are essential for cell survival (Quintana-Cabrera & Scorrano, 2023). Moreover, mitochondria regulate their shape, size, and number through mitochondrial dynamics. These dynamic equilibrium is a balance between fission and fusion, which maintains mitochondrial structure (Yu et al., 2020) and allows the correct organelle function and the overall cellular health. Imbalanced mitochondrial dynamics play a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases: therefore, studying mitochondria shaping proteins is essential to understand this connection and to develop therapeutic strategies to restore a proper mitochondrial function.