Longitudinal time course of muscle impairments during partial weight-bearing in rats

Marie Mortreux, Frank C. Ko, Daniela Riveros, Mary L. Bouxsein, Seward B. Rutkove

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

In the near future, space agencies plan to send the first crews for extended stays on the Moon and Mars, where gravity is significantly reduced compared to Earth (0.16×g and 0.38×g, respectively). However, the long-term effects of partial gravity have not yet been elucidated, and ensuring astronauts’ health and performance is crucial to the success of these missions. Using a quadrupedal partial weight-bearing (PWB) model in rats that we designed, we investigated the longitudinal time course of muscle function at three different PWB levels. We demonstrated that both muscle mass and muscle function are significantly impaired in reduced weight-bearing environments as early as after 7 days of suspension. Moreover, we showed that muscular alterations are correlated to the PWB level and do not reach a plateau during a 1-month exposure to reduced weight-bearing, emphasizing the need for mitigating countermeasures for safe and successful extraterrestrial exploration.

Original languageEnglish
Article number20
Journalnpj Microgravity
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2019
Externally publishedYes

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