Editorial: Mitochondrial quality control in cardiovascular diseases

Myocardial mitochondria are the primary site of energy metabolism in the heart. Thus, maintaining the quality of mitochondria plays a vital role in cardiovascular diseases. Mitochondrial quality control (MQC) mainly encompasses the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics, autophagy, and biogenesis. The pathogenic mechanisms of abnormal mitochondrial features in cardiovascular diseases remain complex, but understanding them may provide promising potential targets for the discovery of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cardiovascular diseases. This editorial is a collection of original research and review articles to summarize our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiovascular diseases and explore future research directions in this area.Oxidative stress is the primary cause of mitochondrial dysfunction. While small quantities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) do not pose harm to life activities, excessive accumulation of ROS serves as a risk factor for oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is characterized by the inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory enzyme activity and the slowing of electron transfer within the respiratory chain. Consequently, mitochondrial dysfunction occurs, which, in turn, leads to the accumulation of more reactive oxygen species in the mitochondria, greater damage. A review by Wang et