For decades, Science uses animal models and 2D human cell cultures for study the effects of space flightson human heart health. Now, a study has used a 3D heart model for the first time to explore the effects of weightlessness and its consequences.
The Scientists in the study have analyzed the impact of being on board the International Space Station (ISS) for 30 days using a system known as “Heart on a chip,” a platform with heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) created from pluripotent stem cells that mimic the behavior of heart cells.
The contractile function of cardiac tissues artificial was monitored automatically throughout the mission and during the subsequent nine days of recovery on Earth.
After, They compared the results of the cellular platform with the astronauts who remained on Earth and They showed that spaceflight significantly decreased the force of heart contraction, and increased arrhythmia and indicators of sarcomere and mitochondrial dysfunction.
The study, conducted by researchers from several American universities led by Johns Hopkins University, found that the loss of contraction strength persisted even after the recovery period.
For the authors, these findings suggest impact of spaceflight on cardiovascular health is comparable to the effects of aging.
The details of the research was published this Monday in the journal PNAS.
Objective: Mars and long-term travel
Since it began the space race of the 60s, more than 550 human beings have flown into spaceespecially to the International Space Station (ISS), which has allowed missions to be increasingly longer.
Although lLong duration missions (more than 300 days) are rare, The interest in traveling to Mars requires a better understanding of the impact of the harsh space environment on the human body.
It is known that the Space flights cause loss of muscle mass and bone density, and problems with cardiovascular function, but the full effects of weightlessness are not yet fully understood.
For example, it is known that The Apollo astronauts who traveled to the Moon were almost 5 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than other people and that within 24 hours of leaving the gravitational forces of the Earth, astronauts experience an increase in ventricular volumes and a decrease in central venous pressure.
In addition, uNASA twin study found astronaut who spent 340 days on ISS had heart failure significantly higher and had much higher blood pressure than his identical twin on Earth.
Previous studies Space travel could lead to adverse cardiac remodeling, they suggest and create dysfunctions in the nervous system. In addition, cases of arrhythmias have been described in astronauts during space flights, even though pre-flight tests did not indicate any pre-existing cardiovascular disease.
If these Risk factors may affect longer missionsis something that is still unclear.
To find out, eThe study compared the results of weightlessness on a platform “Heart on a chip” and in a group of astronauts left on Earth.
The fContractile function of artificial heart tissues (EHT) was automatically monitored Throughout the mission and the subsequent nine days of recovery on Earth and compared to an identical set that remained on Earth, the spaceflight EHTs showed significantly decreased contraction force, increased arrhythmia, and indicators of sarcomere and mitochondrial dysfunction.
The loss of contraction force persisted ieven after the recovery period.
Transcriptomic analysis identified an upregulation of genes associated withwith metabolic disorders, heart failure, oxidative stress and inflammation, and downregulation of genes associated with contractility and calcium signaling in spaceflight EHTs.
CLG​
