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Spaceflight and development of immune responses

G Sonnenfeld¹, M Foster, D Morton

¹Department of General Surgery Research, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina 28232-2861, USA. gsonnenf@carolinas.org

Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)

|October 7, 1998

Summary

Spaceflight impacts the immune system of pregnant rats, affecting spleen cell blastogenesis and interferon-gamma production. However, these immune changes in dams were not observed in their developing pups.

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Area of Science:

Space biology
Immunology
Developmental biology

Background:

Spaceflight poses unique challenges to biological systems.
Understanding the impact of space travel on development and immunity is crucial for astronaut health and future space missions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effects of spaceflight on the immune system of pregnant rats and their offspring.
To assess specific immune parameters in dams, fetuses, and pups exposed to spaceflight conditions.

Main Methods:

Pregnant rats were flown on the Space Shuttle (NIH.R1 experiment) for 11 days.
Control groups included rats in ground-based chambers and standard housing.
Immune responses, including spleen cell blastogenesis, interferon-gamma production, and bone marrow cell responses, were analyzed.

Keywords:

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology NASA Experiment Number 9303009 Non-NASA Center

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Main Results:

Spaceflight inhibited spleen cell blastogenesis and showed a trend toward inhibiting interferon-gamma production in dams.
Bone marrow cell responses to colony-stimulating factor showed a trend toward inhibition in dams.
Immune parameters in fetuses and pups were not significantly affected by the spaceflight exposure of their dams.

Conclusions:

Spaceflight alters specific immune functions in pregnant rats.
Offspring of rats exposed to spaceflight did not exhibit the same immune alterations as their dams.
These findings suggest a potential resilience or differential susceptibility of the developing immune system to spaceflight stressors.