Abstract
Polyhydramnios is a condition related to an excessive accumulation of amniotic fluid in the third trimester of pregnancy and it can be acute and chronic depending on the duration. Published data suggest that during muscle development, in the stage of late histochemical differentiation decreased mechanical loading cause decreased expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC) type 1 leading to slow-to-fast transition. In the case of chronic polyhydramnios, histochemical muscle differentiation could be affected as a consequence of permanent decreased physical loading. Most affected would be muscles which are the most active i.e., spine extensor muscles and muscles of legs. Long-lasting decreased mechanical loading on muscle should cause decreased expression of MHC type 1 leading to slow-to-fast transition, decreased number of muscle fiber type I especially in extensor muscles of spine and legs. Additionally, because MHC type 1 is present in all skeletal muscles it could lead to various degrees of hypotrophy depending on constituting a percentage of MHC type 1 in affected muscles. These changes in the case of preexisting muscle disorders have the potential to deteriorate the muscle condition additionally. Given these facts, idiopathic chronic polyhydramnios is a rare opportunity to study the influence of reduced physical loading on muscle development in the human fetus. Also, it could be a medical entity to examine the influence of micro- and hypogravity conditions on the development of the fetal muscular system during the last trimester of gestation.
Highlights
Microgravity causes a decrease in contractile protein synthesis in skeletal muscles and muscle atrophy, a loss in force and power, and preferential atrophy of antigravity muscles, i.e., extensors over flexors
Exposing a human fetus to microgravity to assess its impact on muscle development would be unethical
The fetus is in amniotic fluid and wet immersion could provide a clue for the model of the influence of altered gravitational regime on muscle development in the human fetus
Summary
Microgravity causes a decrease in contractile protein synthesis in skeletal muscles and muscle atrophy, a loss in force and power, and preferential atrophy of antigravity muscles, i.e., extensors over flexors. In slow-twitch antigravity extensor muscles of the astronauts, microgravity induces decreased myosin heavy chain (MHC) I fiber proportion while increasing fast hybrid types. Exposing a human fetus to microgravity to assess its impact on muscle development would be unethical. Various ground-based models are used to study the effects of microand hypogravity on humans: bed rest studies, parabolic flights, dry and wet immersion. Bed rest studies and immersions cause the same changes in muscles as spaceflight (Watenpaugh, 2016). Bed rest study is not adequate to consider for fetuses, and parabolic flights will expose them only for short time to altered gravitational regime with unknown risk. The fetus is in amniotic fluid and wet immersion could provide a clue for the model of the influence of altered gravitational regime on muscle development in the human fetus
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