A bioartificial 3D bronchial epithelial airway model to study lunar hay fever on Earth

A significant challenge for sustained human presence on the Moon revolves around lunar regolith dust. In the past, Apollo astronauts experienced adverse reactions to lunar dust, reporting allergy-like symptoms after tracking the dust into the lunar module. A 3D human airway model, with properties of a native bronchial epithelium, was generated using a natural scaffold colonized with primary bronchial epithelial cells and donor-matched bronchial fibroblasts. In a laboratory setup, a comparison between lunar regolith simulant [Johnson Space Center-1 (JSC-1)] and terrestrial reference dust [particulate matter 10 μm (PM₁₀)] highlighted the early responsiveness of the airway model to JSC-1. Moreover, JSC-1 induced a specific pathophysiological response and differently affected mucociliary clearance efficiency, barrier integrity, airway differentiation, and remodeling of the bronchial airway. The initial results underscore the importance of biomedical research on lunar dust but also make it clear that research on regolith cannot be substituted with findings from terrestrial PM₁₀ studies.