Objective  Acute central nervous system (CNS) injury after stroke and trauma remains a clinical challenge with limited diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In this article, we review studies suggesting that after CNS injury, mitochondria can be released into extracellular space as a “help-me” signal to augment recovery. Results are taken from experimental studies in cell and animal models and an initial proof-of-concept analysis in humans suggesting the functional relevance of extracellular mitochondria after acute CNS injury.

Observations  After acute CNS injury, (1) mitochondria may be released into extracellular space, (2) mitochondria may be transferred between cells, and (3) levels of extracellular mitochondria may serve as potential biomarkers for recovery.

Conclusions and Relevance  Further translational and clinical studies are warranted to assess the overall hypothesis of using extracellular mitochondria as a therapy and biomarker in the CNS after stroke and trauma.

目的  中风和创伤后的急性中枢神经系统（CNS）损伤仍然是临床挑战，诊断和治疗方法有限。在本文中，我们回顾了一些研究，这些研究表明，中枢神经系统损伤后，线粒体可以作为“帮助我”的信号进入细胞外空间，以增强恢复。结果来自细胞和动物模型的实验研究，以及人类的初步概念验证分析，提示急性中枢神经系统损伤后细胞外线粒体的功能相关性。

观察结果  急性中枢神经系统损伤后，（1）线粒体可能释放到细胞外空间，（2）线粒体可能在细胞之间转移，（3）细胞外线粒体水平可能是恢复的潜在生物标志物。

结论与相关性  有必要进行进一步的翻译和临床研究，以评估在卒中和创伤后使用细胞外线粒体作为中枢神经系统治疗和生物标志物的总体假设。