Ludtka Christopher, Allen Josephine B
J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Gravit Space Res. 2024 Jan;12(1):46-59. doi: 10.2478/gsr-2024-0003. Epub 2024 May 25.
As considerations are being made for the limitations and safety of long-term human spaceflight, the vasculature is important given its connection to and impact on numerous organ systems. As a major constituent of blood vessels, vascular smooth muscle cells are of interest due to their influence over vascular tone and function. Additionally, vascular smooth muscle cells are responsive to pressure and flow changes. Therefore, alterations in these parameters under conditions of microgravity can be functionally disruptive. As such, here we review and discuss the existing literature that assesses the effects of microgravity, both actual and simulated, on smooth muscle cells. This includes the various methods for achieving or simulating microgravity, the animal models or cells used, and the various durations of microgravity assessed. We also discuss the various reported findings in the field, which include changes to cell proliferation, gene expression and phenotypic shifts, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and Ca signaling. Additionally, we briefly summarize the literature on smooth muscle tissue engineering in microgravity as well as considerations of radiation as another key component of spaceflight to contextualize spaceflight experiments, which by their nature include radiation exposure. Finally, we provide general recommendations based on the existing literature's focus and limitations.
在考虑长期载人航天的局限性和安全性时，鉴于脉管系统与众多器官系统的联系及其对这些系统的影响，它显得尤为重要。作为血管的主要组成部分，血管平滑肌细胞因其对血管张力和功能的影响而备受关注。此外，血管平滑肌细胞对压力和血流变化有反应。因此，在微重力条件下这些参数的改变可能会在功能上造成破坏。鉴于此，我们在此回顾并讨论现有文献，这些文献评估了实际和模拟微重力对平滑肌细胞的影响。这包括实现或模拟微重力的各种方法、所使用的动物模型或细胞，以及评估微重力的不同持续时间。我们还讨论了该领域各种已报道的研究结果，包括细胞增殖、基因表达和表型转变的变化，以及肾素 - 血管紧张素 - 醛固酮系统（RAAS）、一氧化氮合酶（NOS）和钙信号传导的变化。此外，我们简要总结了微重力条件下平滑肌组织工程的相关文献，以及将辐射作为航天另一个关键组成部分的考量，以便将航天实验置于背景中，因为航天实验本身就包括辐射暴露。最后，我们根据现有文献的重点和局限性提出一般性建议。
