Astronauts who have stayed on the International Space Station (ISS) for long time periods are known to suffer from reduced bone density and muscle atrophy due to the effects of the microgravity environment. Considering that people will travel to space in the future, the elucidation of effects in a microgravity environment on living body and development of the related technologies are important issues.
Our group has found that the proliferation of human myoblasts is inhibited in a microgravity environment simulated using a clinostat system. These cultured cells show a property similar to that of aging, and further verification of the relationship between microgravity and muscle atrophy is under investigation. In collaboration with JAXA, we are also planning to culture human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the ISS laboratory. By analyzing gene expression and culture supernatant of cells cultured in space, the effects of microgravity in space on cells are expected to clarify.
