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Related Concept Videos

Bone Disorders01:29

Bone Disorders

Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Bone Remodeling01:40

Bone Remodeling

Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.
Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling01:31

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during bone...
Biological Effects of Radiation02:59

Biological Effects of Radiation

All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...
Bone Remodeling and Repair01:31

Bone Remodeling and Repair

Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during bone...
Hormones and Bone Tissue01:17

Hormones and Bone Tissue

The endocrine system produces and secretes hormones, which interact with the skeletal system. These hormones control bone growth, maintain bone once it is formed, and remodel it.
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...

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Updated: May 20, 2026

Proper Positioning and Restraint of a Rat Hind Limb for Focused High Resolution Imaging of Bone Micro-architecture Using In Vivo Micro-computed Tomography
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Proper Positioning and Restraint of a Rat Hind Limb for Focused High Resolution Imaging of Bone Micro-architecture Using In Vivo Micro-computed Tomography

Published on: November 22, 2017

Space Radiation and Bone Loss.

Jeffrey S Willey1, Shane A J Lloyd, Gregory A Nelson

  • 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Section of Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Radiation Biology 405 NRC, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157.

Gravitational and Space Biology Bulletin : Publication of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology
|July 25, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Space radiation exposure can harm bone health by damaging bone cells and blood vessels, leading to bone loss and increased fracture risk during long space missions. Understanding these effects is crucial for astronaut safety.

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Area of Science:

  • Space biology
  • Skeletal physiology
  • Radiation oncology

Background:

  • Spaceflight involves exposure to microgravity and space radiation, both impacting skeletal integrity.
  • Current understanding of radiation's effects on bone is less developed than that of microgravity.
  • Ionizing radiation damages osteoblast precursors and vasculature, suppressing bone formation and leading to low bone turnover.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current knowledge on the effects of ionizing radiation exposure on skeletal health in the context of space exploration and clinical scenarios.
  • To highlight the dual impact of acute osteoclast activation and chronic suppression of bone formation following irradiation.
  • To compare the skeletal damage observed from space radiation with that from clinical radiation therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on radiation effects on bone.
  • Analysis of findings from mouse models investigating radiation-induced bone changes.
  • Comparison of spaceflight radiation exposure scenarios with clinical radiation therapy data.

Main Results:

  • Ionizing radiation causes a rapid, transient increase in osteoclast activity post-irradiation.
  • Chronic suppression of bone formation occurs after radiation exposure, contributing to bone deterioration.
  • Fracture incidence in cancer patients treated with high-dose radiation supports the damaging effects of radiation on human bone.

Conclusions:

  • Space radiation poses a significant risk to skeletal integrity during long-duration space missions.
  • Both acute and chronic cellular responses to radiation contribute to long-term bone quality degradation and fracture risk.
  • Despite dose differences, the mechanisms of radiation-induced bone damage show similarities between spaceflight and clinical exposures.