Sonnenfeld G, Gould C L, Williams J, Mandel A D
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kentucky.
Acta Microbiol Hung. 1988;35(4):411-6.
Several studies have been performed in our laboratories indicating that interferon production may be impaired in rodents after space flight. Using an antiorthostatic suspension model that simulates some of the effects of microgravity seen during space flight, we have shown that interferon-alpha/beta production was inhibited. The inhibition was not due solely to the stress of suspension. The inhibited interferon production was transient, as suspended animals returned to normal caging recovered the ability to produce interferon. Antiorthostatic suspension of mice also resulted in a loss of resistance to infection with the diabetogenic strain of encephalomyocarditis virus, which correlated with the drop in interferon production. In rats flown in US Space Shuttle mission SL-3, interferon-gamma production was inhibited severely when spleen cells were challenged with concanavalin-A upon return to earth. In contrast, interleukin-3 production by these cells was normal. These results suggest that immune responses may be altered after antiorthostatic modeling or space flight, and the resistance to viral infections may be especially affected.
我们实验室已开展多项研究，结果表明啮齿动物在太空飞行后干扰素的产生可能会受到损害。通过使用一种模拟太空飞行中所见微重力某些效应的抗立位悬尾模型，我们发现α/β干扰素的产生受到了抑制。这种抑制并非仅仅是由于悬尾应激所致。受抑制的干扰素产生是短暂的，因为处于悬尾状态的动物在恢复正常笼养后恢复了产生干扰素的能力。小鼠的抗立位悬尾还导致对致糖尿病性脑心肌炎病毒感染的抵抗力丧失，这与干扰素产生的下降相关。在搭乘美国航天飞机SL-3任务飞行的大鼠中，返回地球后用伴刀豆球蛋白A刺激脾细胞时，γ干扰素的产生受到严重抑制。相比之下，这些细胞的白细胞介素-3产生正常。这些结果表明，在抗立位模拟或太空飞行后免疫反应可能会发生改变，并且对病毒感染的抵抗力可能会受到特别影响。
