Targeting Serotonin Pathways for Astronaut Safety and Performance

Exposure to microgravity has physiological consequences that can impair astronaut safety and performance. Many can be directly linked to fluctuations in plasma serotonin levels on Earth, like bone loss, nausea, and fatigue. Yet the metabolic activity of serotonin in space is not well known. This study measured plasma serotonin levels and bone density in the mouse hindlimb unloading (HU) model, an established Earth analog of microgravity-induced bone loss.

The HU model has been used for decades to simulate axial unloading and fluidic shifts experienced in microgravity. Over a 30-d period, mice were suspended by their tails, with blood plasma collected at days 1, 15, and 30. Plasma was assessed for the presence of serotonin protein using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantified. At day 30, microcomputed tomography of femur structural changes in HU mice was correlated with plasma serotonin increases.

Serotonin in plasma from HU mice showed increases in plasma serotonin at every timepoint compared to normally loaded mice. Between days 15-30, there was a 1.87-fold increase in serotonin levels found for normal mice while a significantly larger increase of 2.5-fold was found in the HU mice.

The HU mouse model showed plasma serotonin is elevated in HU mice, which corresponds to cortical and trabecular bone loss. These data suggest that elevated plasma serotonin may have a role in microgravity-induced bone loss. Specific serotonin receptor antagonists may be a safer countermeasure than currently used bisphosphonates to protect against astronaut bone loss. Casey TJ, Kubik AJ, Allen NG, Zilberman AH, Whitman BM, Hunt JC, Juran CM, French J, Blaber EA. Targeting serotonin pathways for astronaut safety and performance. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025; 96(11):969-975.