Investigating microgravity's role in morphological changes, growth behavior, DNA damage, and cytotoxic responses of...

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women, and its treatment depends on the type and severity of the disease. Traditional treatments lead to side effects that require searching for alternative treatment methods. Microgravity is one such method that is currently being studied. In summary, exposure of cancer cells to microgravity dramatically changes morphological, biological, and genetic functions and increases the apoptosis rate. In this manuscript, a comprehensive study is conducted on the effects of microgravity on the breast cancer cell line (AMJ13) in terms of external appearance characteristics, growth behavior, biological properties, cell effectiveness, and DNA damage by exposing the cells to simulated microgravity for 24 h. The results showed a significant change in the morphology and growth behavior of the cells due to being subjected to simulated microgravity conditions compared with the control cells. The cytotoxicity test (MTT) showed an increase in cell inhibition rate under the influence of microgravity. The effect of the microgravity environment extended beyond the morphology level of the cells to the genetic level, as the comet examination showed apparent damage to the DNA compared with the control cells. This comprehensive study opens up possibilities for microgravity as an essential tool in studying cell behavior and conducting cancer treatment research in the future.