. 24/7 Space News .
SPACE MEDICINE
Mice flown in space show nascent liver damage
by Staff Writers
Aurora CO (SPX) Apr 21, 2016


File image.

In a discovery with implications for long-term spaceflight and future missions to Mars, a researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has found that mice flown aboard the space shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth with early signs of liver disease.

"Prior to this study we really didn't have much information on the impact of spaceflight on the liver," said the study's lead author Karen Jonscher, PhD, an associate professor of anesthesiology and a physicist at CU Anschutz. "We knew that astronauts often returned with diabetes-like symptoms but they usually resolved quickly."

But the prospect of liver damage raises new concerns.

The mice studied spent 13.5 days aboard the space shuttle. When they returned, Jonscher and her colleagues were able to collect liver samples. They found that spaceflight appeared to activate specialized liver cells that may go on to induce scarring and cause long-term damage to the organ.

"We saw the beginning of nascent liver damage in just 13.5 days," Jonscher said. "The mice also lost lean muscle mass. We have seen this same phenomenon in humans on bedrest - muscles atrophy and proteins break down into amino acids. The question is, how does that affect your liver?"

For years scientists have studied the impact of spaceflight on human physiology but most of the research has focused on bone, muscle, brain and cardiovascular function. Yet studies suggesting that astronauts who spent time in space developed diabetes-like symptoms link microgravity with metabolism and point toward the liver, the major organ of metabolism, as a possible target of the space environment.

Whether or not the liver itself is vulnerable to damage has remained an open question. And this research may help answer that.

The mice spent time orbiting the Earth on the final space shuttle flight in 2011. Once they returned home, teams of scientists were allowed to share and study their internal organs.

Jonscher's team found that spaceflight resulted in increased fat storage in the liver, comparing pair-fed mice on Earth to those on the shuttle. This was accompanied by a loss of retinol, an animal form of Vitamin A, and changes to levels of genes responsible for breaking down fats.

As a result, mice showed signs of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and potential early indicators for the beginnings of fibrosis, which can be one of the more progressive consequences of NAFLD.

"It generally takes a long time, months to years, to induce fibrosis in mice, even when eating an unhealthy diet," Jonscher said. "If a mouse is showing nascent signs of fibrosis without a change in diet after 13 0.5 days, what is happening to the humans?"

With NASA planning longer deep space missions, including one to Mars which would take at least a year, these findings are significant.

"Whether or not this is a problem is an open question," Jonscher said. "We need to look at mice involved in longer duration space flight to see if there are compensatory mechanisms that come into play that might protect them from serious damage."

She pointed out that the stress of spaceflight and reentry to Earth might have also played a role in the liver damage.

"Further study in this area is merited and analysis of tissues harvested in space from mice flown aboard the International Space Station for several months may help determine whether long-term spaceflight might lead to more advanced hepatic injury and whether damage can be prevented," she said.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Space Medicine Technology and Systems






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
SPACE MEDICINE
Two doctoral students work on NASA mission
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 18, 2016
Although men often outnumber women in science fields, women comprise the majority of a USC-led team that is the first in the world to seek therapeutic drug discovery from fungi launched into space. USC School of Pharmacy doctoral students Jillian Romsdahl, 25, and Adriana Blachowicz, 26, were overjoyed to send Aspergillus nidulans to the International Space Station on April 8. They had wor ... read more


SPACE MEDICINE
Supernova iron found on the moon

Russia to shift all Lunar launches to Vostochny Cosmodrome

Lunar lava tubes could help pave way for human colony

The Moon thought to play a major role in maintaining Earth's magnetic field

SPACE MEDICINE
Rover mini-walkabout to find clay mineral continues

Russia, Italy plan first bid to explore beneath mars surface in 2018

First light for ExoMars

First joint EU-Russian ExoMars mission to reach Mars orbit Oct 16

SPACE MEDICINE
NASA blasts Orion Service Module with giant horns

Concept's success buoys Commercial Crew's path to flight

New, fast solar wind propulsion system is aim of NASA, UAH study

China, India pave the way to BRICS cooperation in space

SPACE MEDICINE
Chinese scientists develop mammal embryos in space for first time

Re-entry capsule of SJ-10 lands in Northern China

China begins testing Tiangong-2 space lab

Lessons learned from Tiangong 1

SPACE MEDICINE
BEAM successfully installed to the International Space Station

NASA to test first expandable habitat on ISS

Dragon and Cygnus To Meet For First Time In Space

Russian cargo ship docks successfully with space station

SPACE MEDICINE
Arianespace cooperation with Russia remains smooth amid sanctions

Orbital ATK awarded major sounding rocket contract by NASA

SpaceX lands rocket on ocean platform for first time

SpaceX cargo arrives at crowded space station

SPACE MEDICINE
University of Massachusetts Lowell PICTURE-B Mission Completed

Lone planetary-mass object found in family of stars

Stars strip away atmospheres of nearby super-Earths

1917 astronomical plate has first-ever evidence of exoplanetary system

SPACE MEDICINE
Why sailing to the stars has suddenly become a realistic goal

Strathclyde-led project to open up space technology to new nations

Progress of simulating dynamics in heterogeneous materials

Coding and computers help spot methane, explosives









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.