Abstract: Objective To investigate the changes of platelet mitochondria in rats with tourniquet-induced limb
ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Methods Thirty SD rats were randomized equally into 5 groups including a control group
and 4 limb IR injury groups for blood sampling at 2, 6, 12, or 24 h following IR injury induced by tourniquet on the thighs for 4
h. Platelet was separated from the blood samples for measurement of ATP content, mitochondrial membrane potentials,
plasma cytochrome C level, and hydroperoxides. Results Compared with the control group, the rats with tourniquet-induced
limb IR injury showed significantly decreased ATP content, lowered mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased plasma
cytochrome C and hydroperoxide levels in the platelets at 2 and 6 h following the injury (P<0.05 or 0.01). These alterations
recovered partially but remained significantly different from the control levels at 12 h (P<0.05 or 0.01) until full recovery at 24
h. Limb IR injury did not cause significant variations of the platelet counts. Conclusion Tourniquet-induced limb IR injury can
cause mitochondrial damage in the platelets, which occurs mainly in the early stage (6 h) and recovers gradually afterwards
without significant impact on platelet counts.