Extraterrestrial Gynecology: Could Spaceflight Increase the Risk of Developing Cancer in Female Astronauts? An Updated Review

Drago-Ferrante, Rosa; Fiore, Riccardo Di; Karouia, Fathi; Subbannayya, Yashwanth; Das, Saswati; Mathyk, Begüm Aydoğan; Arif, Shehbeel; Guevara-Cerdán, Ana Paula; Seylani, Allen; Singh, Aman; Kukulska, Weronika; Borg, Joseph; Suleiman, Sherif; Porterfield, D. Marshall; Camera, Andrea; Christenson, Lane K.; Ronca, April E.; Steller, Jonathan; Beheshti, Afshin; Calleja‐Agius, Jean

doi:10.3390/ijms23137465

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 182 publications

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“…P53 dysregulation is a risk factor for developing cancers and is a candidate to be examined after deep exploration missions. Drago-Ferrante et al [ 167 ] recently reviewed the available literature to answer this question, “Extraterrestrial Gynecology: Could spaceflight increase the risk of developing cancer in female astronauts?” The authors found a lack of knowledge on the effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity on gynecologic cancer. As of now, the number of female crewmembers who have attended a long-term mission is too small to answer this question [ 167 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Current Knowledge about the Impact of Microgravity on Gene Regulation

Corydon

Schulz

Richter

et al. 2023

Cells

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Microgravity (µg) has a massive impact on the health of space explorers. Microgravity changes the proliferation, differentiation, and growth of cells. As crewed spaceflights into deep space are being planned along with the commercialization of space travelling, researchers have focused on gene regulation in cells and organisms exposed to real (r-) and simulated (s-) µg. In particular, cancer and metastasis research benefits from the findings obtained under µg conditions. Gene regulation is a key factor in a cell or an organism’s ability to sustain life and respond to environmental changes. It is a universal process to control the amount, location, and timing in which genes are expressed. In this review, we provide an overview of µg-induced changes in the numerous mechanisms involved in gene regulation, including regulatory proteins, microRNAs, and the chemical modification of DNA. In particular, we discuss the current knowledge about the impact of microgravity on gene regulation in different types of bacteria, protists, fungi, animals, humans, and cells with a focus on the brain, eye, endothelium, immune system, cartilage, muscle, bone, and various cancers as well as recent findings in plants. Importantly, the obtained data clearly imply that µg experiments can support translational medicine on Earth.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Until very recently, there have been insufficient numbers of women in space exposed to long-duration, low-dose rate, and proton and heavy ion radiation to determine their cancer risk [ 167 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Knowledge about the Impact of Microgravity on Gene Regulation

Corydon

Schulz

Richter

et al. 2023

Cells

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“…Therefore, returning from spaceflight did not modulate lipid saturation. Astronauts in space are exposed to galactic cosmic radiation featuring protons, helium, and high energy metal ions 35 ; and recent reports pointed to upregulated BMA with radiation in mice femur and human mandible 36 . Our astronaut cohort returning from space rather showed downregulated BMA; the type and dosage of radiation received during 6-months missions in space did not appear to upregulate BMA.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bone marrow adiposity modulation after long duration spaceflight in astronauts

et al. 2023

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Space travel requires metabolic adaptations from multiple systems. While vital to bone and blood production, human bone marrow adipose (BMA) tissue modulation in space is unknown. Here we show significant downregulation of the lumbar vertebrae BMA in 14 astronauts, 41 days after landing from six months’ missions on the International Space Station. Spectral analyses indicated depletion of marrow adipose reserves. We then demonstrate enhanced erythropoiesis temporally related to low BMA. Next, we demonstrated systemic and then, local lumbar vertebrae bone anabolism temporally related to low BMA. These support the hypothesis that BMA is a preferential local energy source supplying the hypermetabolic bone marrow postflight, leading to its downregulation. A late postflight upregulation abolished the lower BMA of female astronauts and BMA modulation amplitude was higher in younger astronauts. The study design in the extreme environment of space can limit these conclusions. BMA modulation in astronauts can help explain observations on Earth.

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“…The study aimed to investigate the effects of simulated microgravity on the ultrastructure of human MII oocytes. In fact, despite the important effects induced by the absence of gravity on human systems, organs, tissues, and the human female reproductive system in particular [22,23], only a few reports have been published about mammalian female gametes in weightlessness conditions [16,24,25]. Zhang et al (2016) [16] evidenced that simulated microgravity affects the in vitro development of mouse preantral follicles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Simulated Microgravity In Vitro on Human Metaphase II Oocytes: An Electron Microscopy-Based Study

Miglietta

Cristiano

Espinola

et al. 2023

Cells

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The Gravity Force to which living beings are subjected on Earth rules the functionality of most biological processes in many tissues. It has been reported that a situation of Microgravity (such as that occurring in space) causes negative effects on living beings. Astronauts returning from space shuttle missions or from the International Space Station have been diagnosed with various health problems, such as bone demineralization, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular deconditioning, and vestibular and sensory imbalance, including impaired visual acuity, altered metabolic and nutritional status, and immune system dysregulation. Microgravity has profound effects also on reproductive functions. Female astronauts, in fact, suppress their cycles during space travels, and effects at the cellular level in the early embryo development and on female gamete maturation have also been observed. The opportunities to use space flights to study the effects of gravity variations are limited because of the high costs and lack of repeatability of the experiments. For these reasons, the use of microgravity simulators for studying, at the cellular level, the effects, such as those, obtained during/after a spatial trip, are developed to confirm that these models can be used in the study of body responses under conditions different from those found in a unitary Gravity environment (1 g). In view of this, this study aimed to investigate in vitro the effects of simulated microgravity on the ultrastructural features of human metaphase II oocytes using a Random Positioning Machine (RPM). We demonstrated for the first time, by Transmission Electron Microscopy analysis, that microgravity might compromise oocyte quality by affecting not only the localization of mitochondria and cortical granules due to a possible alteration of the cytoskeleton but also the function of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum since in RPM oocytes we observed a switch in the morphology of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) and associated mitochondria from mitochondria-SER aggregates to mitochondria–vesicle complexes. We concluded that microgravity might negatively affect oocyte quality by interfering in vitro with the normal sequence of morphodynamic events essential for acquiring and maintaining a proper competence to fertilization in human oocytes.

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Extraterrestrial Gynecology: Could Spaceflight Increase the Risk of Developing Cancer in Female Astronauts? An Updated Review

Cited by 11 publications

References 182 publications

Current Knowledge about the Impact of Microgravity on Gene Regulation

Current Knowledge about the Impact of Microgravity on Gene Regulation

Bone marrow adiposity modulation after long duration spaceflight in astronauts

Effects of Simulated Microgravity In Vitro on Human Metaphase II Oocytes: An Electron Microscopy-Based Study

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