Du Yu, Han Bing, Biere Katharina, Abdelmalek Nathalie, Shu Xinyu, Song Chaoyang, Chen Guangyao, Li Ning, Tuschen Marina, Wu Huan, Sun Shujin, Choukér Alexander, Long Mian, Moser Dominique
Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China.
School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
NPJ Microgravity. 2025 Feb 3;11(1):4. doi: 10.1038/s41526-024-00456-7.
Returning to the moon and traveling to Mars represent the main targets of human space exploration missions within the upcoming decades. Comparable to microgravity, partial gravity in these destinations is assumed to dysregulate immune functions, thereby threatening astronauts´ health. To investigate the impact of partial gravity on immune cell attachment to vessel endothelia, THP-1 cells and HUVEC cell layers were monitored in a flow chamber system during parabolic flight in lunar (0.16 g) or Martian (0.38 g) gravity. Focus was set on floating speed, cell adhesion, surface molecule expression and cytoskeletal reorganization under basal and TNF-induced inflammatory environment. Floating speed of THP-1 cells was increased in partial gravity, which was accompanied by a successively lower adhesion to the endothelial HUVEC cells. Expression levels of the adhesion markers Mac-1 on THP-1 cells as well as ICAM-1 on HUVECs were found elevated in lunar and Martian gravity, which was aggravated by TNF. Analysis of cytoskeletal organization in HUVECs revealed reduced intracellular F-actin microfilament networks and a stronger cell directionality with stress fiber alignment at cell borders in partial gravity, which was intensified by TNF. In summary, altered immune cell - endothelium interactions as quantified in partial gravity conditions show similarities to cellular behavior in microgravity. However, the different magnitudes of effects in dependence of gravitational level still need to be assessed in further investigations.
重返月球和前往火星是未来几十年人类太空探索任务的主要目标。与微重力类似，这些目的地的部分重力被认为会扰乱免疫功能，从而威胁宇航员的健康。为了研究部分重力对免疫细胞与血管内皮细胞附着的影响，在抛物线飞行期间，于月球（0.16g）或火星（0.38g）重力条件下，在流动腔系统中监测了THP-1细胞和人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVEC）层。重点关注基础状态和肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）诱导的炎症环境下的漂浮速度、细胞粘附、表面分子表达和细胞骨架重组。在部分重力条件下，THP-1细胞的漂浮速度增加，同时其与内皮HUVEC细胞的粘附力逐渐降低。在月球和火星重力条件下，THP-1细胞上的粘附标记物Mac-1以及HUVEC细胞上的细胞间粘附分子-1（ICAM-1）的表达水平均升高，TNF会加剧这种情况。对HUVEC细胞骨架组织的分析显示，在部分重力条件下，细胞内F-肌动蛋白微丝网络减少，细胞方向性增强，细胞边界处应力纤维排列，TNF会加剧这种情况。总之，在部分重力条件下定量的免疫细胞与内皮细胞相互作用的改变与微重力条件下的细胞行为相似。然而，不同重力水平下不同程度的影响仍需在进一步研究中评估。
