Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan 13;25(2):1015. doi: 10.3390/ijms25021015.
Astronauts in space are subject to continuous exposure to ionizing radiation. There is concern about the acute and late-occurring adverse health effects that astronauts could incur following a protracted exposure to the space radiation environment. Therefore, it is vital to consider the current tools and models used to describe and study the organic consequences of ionizing radiation exposure. It is equally important to see where these models could be improved. Historically, radiobiological models focused on how radiation damages nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the role DNA repair mechanisms play in resulting biological effects, building on the hypotheses of Crowther and Lea from the 1940s and 1960s, and they neglected other subcellular targets outside of nuclear DNA. The development of these models and the current state of knowledge about radiation effects impacting astronauts in orbit, as well as how the radiation environment and cellular microenvironment are incorporated into these radiobiological models, aid our understanding of the influence space travel may have on astronaut health. It is vital to consider the current tools and models used to describe the organic consequences of ionizing radiation exposure and identify where they can be further improved.
宇航员在太空中会持续受到电离辐射的照射。人们担心宇航员在长期暴露于太空辐射环境后，可能会出现急性和迟发性的不良健康影响。因此，考虑当前用于描述和研究电离辐射暴露的有机后果的工具和模型至关重要。同样重要的是要看到这些模型可以在哪些方面得到改进。从历史上看，放射生物学模型主要关注辐射如何破坏核脱氧核糖核酸（DNA），以及 DNA 修复机制在产生生物效应中的作用，这是基于 20 世纪 40 年代和 60 年代克劳瑟（Crowther）和利（Lea）的假说，而忽略了核 DNA 以外的其他亚细胞靶标。这些模型的发展以及目前关于辐射对轨道上宇航员的影响的知识状况，以及如何将辐射环境和细胞微环境纳入这些放射生物学模型，有助于我们了解太空旅行可能对宇航员健康产生的影响。考虑当前用于描述电离辐射暴露的有机后果的工具和模型，并确定可以在哪些方面进一步改进，这一点至关重要。
