Biological and metabolic response in STS-135 space-flown mouse skin

Abstract

There is evidence that space flight condition-induced biological damage is associated with increased oxidative stress and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. To explore possible mechanisms, changes in gene expression profiles implicated in oxidative stress and in ECM remodeling in mouse skin were examined after space flight. The metabolic effects of space flight in skin tissues were also characterized. Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) was launched at the Kennedy Space Center on a 13-day mission. Female C57BL/6 mice were flown in the STS-135 using animal enclosure modules (AEMs). Within 3–5 h after landing, the mice were euthanized and skin samples were harvested for gene array analysis and metabolic biochemical assays. Many genes responsible for regulating production and metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly (p < 0.05) altered in the flight group, with fold changes >1.5 compared to AEM control. For ECM profile, several genes encoding matrix and metalloproteinases involved in ECM remodeling were significantly up-/down-regulated following space flight. To characterize the metabolic effects of space flight, global biochemical profiles were evaluated. Of 332 named biochemicals, 19 differed significantly (p < 0.05) between space flight skin samples and AEM ground controls, with 12 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated including altered amino acid, carbohydrate metabolism, cell signaling, and transmethylation pathways. Collectively, the data demonstrated that space flight condition leads to a shift in biological and metabolic homeostasis as the consequence of increased regulation in cellular antioxidants, ROS production, and tissue remodeling. This indicates that astronauts may be at increased risk for pathophysiologic damage or carcinogenesis in cutaneous tissue.

Keywords::

• space flight
• STS-135
• skin
• oxidative stress
• metabolomic profiling

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Amgen and their support team for the opportunity to participate in this study and BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado at Boulder for organizing and overseeing this project. We would also like to thank all team members of the Ferguson & Bateman labs who participated in the tissue processing at KSC. We would like to thank Paula Dumars and Vera Vizir of the BSP and Ames Research Center, as well as the KSC SLSL support staff. We would like to thank Janice Jones, Elizabeth Morin-Kensicki at Metabolon Inc. for their help with interpretation of the metabolic profile of the skin samples. This study was supported by NASA grant NNX10AJ31G and the LLUMC Department of Radiation Medicine.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.