Microgravity × Radiation: A Space Mechanobiology Approach Toward Cardiovascular Function and Disease

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in space exploration, supported by the accelerated technological advancements in the field. This has led to a new potential environment that humans could be exposed to in the very near future, and therefore an increasing request to evaluate the impact this may have on our body, including health risks associated with this endeavor. A critical component in regulating the human pathophysiology is represented by the cardiovascular system, which may be heavily affected in these extreme environments of microgravity and radiation. This mini review aims to identify the impact of microgravity and radiation on the cardiovascular system. Being able to understand the effect that comes with deep space explorations, including that of microgravity and space radiation, may also allow us to get a deeper understanding of the heart and ultimately our own basic physiological processes. This information may unlock new factors to consider with space exploration whilst simultaneously increasing our knowledge of the cardiovascular system and potentially associated diseases.

The State of the Art of Piezo1 Channels in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration

“…Microgravity induces substantial cellular adaptations that affect cellular morphology, proliferation and adhesion [ 69 ]. Cell mechanical properties, including elasticity, viscoelasticity [ 70 ], and cytoskeletal organization (namely mechano-responsive structures) are the most affected cell compartments in real or simulated microgravity [ 71 ]. Microgravity disrupts the intracellular tension balance and causes irregular cytoskeleton formation, with substantial implications in the regulation of cell growth, locomotion and survival [ 72 ].…”

2021 Nobel Prize for mechanosensory transduction

“…It also recognizes the potential of both channels for the development of novel treatments for a wide range of mechano-channelopathies in the future. This shines a spotlight on the role mechanoreceptors play in the sustainability of different life forms, in a variety of environments, including microgravity for human colonization of outer space (Basirun et al 2021). This year's Nobel Prize for discovery of the Piezo channel family provides significant impetus for research in mechanotransduction.…”

MRTF May Be the Missing Link in a Multiscale Mechanobiology Approach toward Macrophage Dysfunction in Space

“…Multiscale approaches in mechanobiology consider molecules, single cells, tissues, and organs, including each of their varied responses across time scales, to resolve complex interactions between biology and mechanics (Mak et al, 2015;Fritzsche, 2020). Similarly complex, the combined environmental effect of spaceflight microgravity and radiation has been given a multiscale mechanobiology approach for cardiovascular disease (Basirun et al, 2021) and muscle/bone loss (Deymier et al, 2020), but not for immune dysregulation. Yet current immune studies in microgravity vary in scale from drop-towers (seconds) to ballistic flights (minutes) to long-term spaceflight (months), reviewed in detail by ElGindi et al (2021), or microgravity is simulated for a few days in 3D random positioning machines (3D-RPM) and rotating wall vessel bioreactors (RWV), where constant rotation time-averages the gravity vector to be negligible (Hammond and Hammond, 2001).…”