Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
Mimicking a Space Mission to Mars Using Hindlimb Unloading and Partial Weight Bearing in Rats
Published on: April 4, 2019
Effect of simulated microgravity and its associated mechanism on pulmonary circulation in rats
Tian Zhi Li1, Ming Yuan, Zhen Hong Chen
1Nanlou Respiratory Diseases Department, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
Objective:
To study the effect of Simulated Microgravity and its Associated Mechanism on Pulmonary Circulation in Rats).
Methods:
Rat tail-suspension model was used to simulate the physiological effects of microgravity and changes in pulmonary blood vessel morphology, pulmonary arterial and venous blood pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary vasomotoricity, as well as the regulation of pulmonary circulation by cytokines produced and released by the lung of rats were measured.
Results:
The walls of pulmonary blood vessels of rats were thickened, and the pulmonary artery was reconstructed with increased pulmonary vascular resistance. The pulmonary blood vessels of rats became more prone to dilation as contractions increased. Rat epithelial Adrenomedulin gene transcription and protein expression were upregulated. The level of basic fibroblast growth Factor of rat was also elevated.
Conclusion:
Findings from the present study on rats revealed that the microgravity can affect pulmonary blood vessel structure, pulmonary arterial pressure, and pulmonary blood vessel self-regulation and cytokine production.
