Inflammation, platelets and diabetes

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a key player in atherothrombosis. Inflammation participates in metabolic homeostasis interacting with adipose tissue-specific macrophages. Platelets appear as addresses and players carrying and transducing metabolic derangement into vascular injury. AGE-RAGE pathway is recognized as the driver of metabolic memory. Human platelets have insulin receptors that participate in the regulation of platelet function and platelets are potential sites of insulin resistance. The present mini-review addresses key pathophysiological aspects including i) the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of diabetes; ii) platelets as inflammatory cells; iii) the involvement on inflammation in the interindividual variability in aspirin response. Taken together, these aspects may contribute to expand knowledge about the link between the extent of inflammation, platelet activation and turnover, and interindividual variability in the development of atherothrombosis and its prevention, in a view of precision medicine.