Effect of Weightlessness on the 3D Structure Formation and Physiologic Function of Human Cancer Cells

Abstract

With the rapid development of modern medical technology and the deterioration of living environments, cancer, the most important disease that threatens human health, has attracted increasing concerns. Although remarkable achievements have been made in tumor research during the past several decades, a series of problems such as tumor metastasis and drug resistance still need to be solved. Recently, relevant physiological changes during space exploration have attracted much attention. Thus, space exploration might provide some inspiration for cancer research. Using on ground different methods in order to simulate microgravity, structure and function of cancer cells undergo many unique changes, such as cell aggregation to form 3D spheroids, cell-cycle inhibition, and changes in migration ability and apoptosis. Although numerous better experiments have been conducted on this subject, the results are not consistent. The reason might be that different methods for simulation have been used, including clinostats, random positioning machine (RPM) and rotating wall vessel (RWV) and so on. Therefore, we review the relevant research and try to explain novel mechanisms underlying tumor cell changes under weightlessness.

Effect of Unloading Condition on the Healing Process and Effectiveness of Platelet Rich Plasma as a Countermeasure: Study on In Vivo and In Vitro Wound Healing Models

“…PRP treatment prevented the µg-induced formation of 3D aggregates. The three-dimensional growth observed after 72 h RPM exposure is a known effect of unloading conditions on different cell types [47][48][49]. During rotation, cells are not driven against a solid surface and do not grow across a solid-liquid interface, but rather tend to form 3D aggregates.…”

Dexamethasone Inhibits Spheroid Formation of Thyroid Cancer Cells Exposed to Simulated Microgravity

“…To find signs for EMT, that is also influenced by µg in cancer cells [55], different epithelial (E-cadherin) and mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin, vimentin, fibronectin, Snail1) were analyzed. In a four-hour culture the E-cadherin mRNA (encoded by CDH1) was reduced in cells incubated with DEX ( Figure 6A), without significant changes in E-cadherin protein levels ( Figure 6H).…”

Simulated microgravity significantly altered metabolism in epidermal stem cells

“…However, many factors are likely to adversely affect the growth and metabolism of EpSCs, such as microgravity and ultraviolet radiation. More importantly, microgravity, as a special stressor, can affect cell metabolism, morphology, proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis (Sokolovskaya et al 2014;Zhu et al 2014;Chen et al 2019). In our study, we explored whether 1-and 3-d exposure to microgravity could change the metabolites of EpSCs.…”