Effects of lunar dust simulant on cardiac function and fibrosis in rats

Sun, Yuena; Zhang, Lu; Liu, Jinguo; Zhang, Xiaoping; Su, Yan; Yin, Quanling; He, Shuangxi

doi:10.1039/c8tx00329g

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…At present, research on the health effects of exposure to lunar dust focuses mainly on tissues in direct contact with the dust particles, e.g., the respiratory system, the skin, and the cornea. However, other tissues may be secondarily affected through either the translocation of the dust from the site of initial contact or by adverse effects propagated to distal sites by reactions produced in the primary tissue [55].…”

Section: Cardiovascular Adverse Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Dusty Road for Astronauts

Miranda,

Marchal,

Cumps

et al. 2023

Biomedicines

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The lunar dust problem was first formulated in 1969 with NASA’s first successful mission to land a human being on the surface of the Moon. Subsequent Apollo missions failed to keep the dust at bay, so exposure to the dust was unavoidable. In 1972, Harrison Schmitt suffered a brief sneezing attack, red eyes, an itchy throat, and congested sinuses in response to lunar dust. Some additional Apollo astronauts also reported allergy-like symptoms after tracking dust into the lunar module. Immediately following the Apollo missions, research into the toxic effects of lunar dust on the respiratory system gained a lot of interest. Moreover, researchers believed other organ systems might be at risk, including the skin and cornea. Secondary effects could translocate to the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and the brain. With current intentions to return humans to the moon and establish a semi-permanent presence on or near the moon’s surface, integrated, end-to-end dust mitigation strategies are needed to enable sustainable lunar presence and architecture. The characteristics and formation of Martian dust are different from lunar dust, but advances in the research of lunar dust toxicity, mitigation, and protection strategies can prove strategic for future operations on Mars.

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Section: Cardiovascular Adverse Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Dusty Road for Astronauts

Miranda,

Marchal,

Cumps

et al. 2023

Biomedicines

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“…Based on the findings of the Apollo Medical Operations Project, research was commissioned by NASA to investigate pulmonary and ocular toxicity, leading to the creation of the Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicity Advisory Group. 4 Ultimately, research expanded to include cardiac 5 and neurologic 6 studies, but nasal toxicity remains uninvestigated.…”

Section: Apollo Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lunar dust: A unique nasal irritant forgotten by history

Hardison,

Thorp,

Ebert Jr

et al. 2023

Int Forum Allergy Rhinol

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“…Due to the scarcity of real lunar dust samples, simulated lunar dust samples are currently used to study the toxicity of lunar dust particles. Studies have shown that exposure of lunar dust simulated samples to the lungs caused local and systemic inflammatory responses in rats, significantly increased parasympathetic nerve activity, aggravated myocardial fibrosis, and ultimately led to myocardial dysfunction and cardiovascular damage 1 . The mechanism of cardiotoxic damage involves inflammatory mechanism, considering that NOX4 may be a potential therapeutic target of lunar dust simulant (LDS) induced myocardial injury 1 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have shown that exposure of lunar dust simulated samples to the lungs caused local and systemic inflammatory responses in rats, significantly increased parasympathetic nerve activity, aggravated myocardial fibrosis, and ultimately led to myocardial dysfunction and cardiovascular damage 1 . The mechanism of cardiotoxic damage involves inflammatory mechanism, considering that NOX4 may be a potential therapeutic target of lunar dust simulant (LDS) induced myocardial injury 1 . Lam et al studied the pulmonary acute toxicological effects of lunar dust simulants in mice and found that lunar dust was more toxic than titanium dioxide, but less toxic than silica‐containing quartz dust 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 The mechanism of cardiotoxic damage involves inflammatory mechanism, considering that NOX4 may be a potential therapeutic target of lunar dust simulant (LDS) induced myocardial injury. 1 Lam et al studied the pulmonary acute toxicological effects of lunar dust simulants in mice and found that lunar dust was more toxic than titanium dioxide, but less toxic than silica-containing quartz dust. 2 Compared with the low-dose lunar dust group, the lung tissue of mice in the high-dose lunar dust simulant group showed mild to moderate alveolitis, as well as perivascular and peribronchiolar inflammation; after 90 days of exposure, the lung tissue showed mild Chronic lung inflammation, septal thickening, and some signs of fibrosis.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Exploring the mechanism of lung injury induced by lunar dust simulant in rats based on metabolomic analysis

Gu,

Yin,

Sun

et al. 2023

Environmental Toxicology

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Inflammatory response and oxidative stress are considered to be important mechanisms of lung injury induced by lunar dust. However, the pulmonary toxicological mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, Wistar rats were exposed to CLDS‐i 7 days/week, 4 h/day, for 4 weeks in the mouth and nose. Lung tissue samples were collected for histopathological analysis and ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Enzyme activities and expression levels of key metabolic enzymes were detected by biochemical analysis and real‐time PCR. The pathological features of lung tissue showed that CLDS‐i caused congestion and inflammation in the lungs, and the lung structure was severely damaged. Metabolomics analysis showed that 141 metabolites were significantly changed in the lung tissue of the CLDS‐i group compared with the control group. Combined with Kegg pathway analysis, it was found that the changes of amino acid metabolites were involved in these pathways, indicating that the simulated lunar dust exposure had the most obvious effect on amino acid metabolism in the lung tissue of rats. Real‐time PCR analysis showed that the mRNA expression of six key enzymes related to amino acid metabolism was changed, and the enzyme activities of these key enzymes were also changed, which were consistent with the results of qPCR. These results suggest that changes in amino acid metabolism may be closely related to the pathogenesis of lung injury induced by lunar dust, and amino acid metabolism may be a potential biomarker of lung diseases related to lunar dust exposure.

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Effects of lunar dust simulant on cardiac function and fibrosis in rats

Abstract: LDS exposure causes systemic inflammatory lesions that affect autonomic function, leading to inflammatory myocardial fibrosis, and its mechanisms involve the mediation of the Nrf2/NOX4 redox balance.

Cited by 9 publications

References 27 publications

A Dusty Road for Astronauts

A Dusty Road for Astronauts

Lunar dust: A unique nasal irritant forgotten by history

Exploring the mechanism of lung injury induced by lunar dust simulant in rats based on metabolomic analysis

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