Effects of spaceflight on bone mineralization in the rhesus
monkey.
Zerath, Erik, Valery Novikov, Adrian Leblanc, Alexei Bakulin, Victor
Oganov, and Marc Grynpas.
D[acute]epartement de Physiologie Analytique, Centre d'Etudes et de
Recherches de M[acute]edecine A[acute]erospatiale (CERMA), 91223
Br[acute]etigny-sur-Orge, France, The Methodist Hospital, 6550
Fannin, Suite 577, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA, Department of
Pathology, University of Toronto, and Samuel Lunenfeld Research
Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada
and Institute of Biomedical Problems, Ministry of Health, Moscow,
Russia.
APStracts 2:0168A, 1995.
We combined dual photon absorptiometry (DPA), iliac crest
histomorphometry and back-scattered electrons (BSE) analyses to
characterize bone mineralization effects of a spaceflight on young
monkeys. Two 4-5 kg male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were flown
during a 11.5 day spaceflight which took place onboard Cosmos 2229
biosatellite (Bion 10). Vivarium (n=4) and on-Earth chaired (n=4)
control situations were studied for comparison. Flight monkeys
exhibited lower values of iliac cancellous bone volume, associated
with non-significantly thinner trabeculae. Bone mineralization rate
and the proportion of trabecular bone surface involved in
mineralization processes were found markedly reduced after
spaceflight. Analysis of embedded sections by BSE imaging showed a
non significant shift to lower mineralization in the flight biopsies
versus postflight mock-up biopsies. These results were in accordance
with DPA evaluations showing a tendency for decreased bone mineral
content (BMC) during flight and recovery thereafter. The ground
simulation experiment performed more than one month after landing on
the same monkeys suggests that the observed effects were specifically
related to spaceflight, and that the animals had only partially
recovered. Additional animals on future flights would be required to
confirm these findings.
Received 28 December 1994; accepted in final form 18 April 1995.
APS Manuscript Number A1371-4.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 2 May 1995.