Deep space and mitocondria

Abstract

Space travel has advanced significantly over the last six decades with astronauts spending up to usually 6 months (up to 12 months) at the International Space Station (ISS). The living environment on the ISS is challenging to astronauts because microgravity (μG) induces various health problems such as bone demineralization, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular deconditioning, and vestibular and sensory imbalance including visual acuity, altered metabolic and nutritional status, and immune system dysregulation. In addition, isolated and limited habitability causes psychological stress, and exposure to space radiation potentially endangers the health of the astronauts. The next challenging steps for humankind include new missions to the Moon followed by human exploration of Mars. Deep space human exploration has become more realistic.In a recent study, a multi-omics, systemic biological approach revealed a major mitochondrial dysfunction using spaceflight samples. It was also found the evidence of altered mitochondrial function using the urine and blood metabolic data compiled from the astronaut cohort and NASA Twin Study data, indicating mitochondrial stress as a consistent phenotype of spaceflight. In the future, drugs to maintain mitochondrial function are expected to enable safe space odyssey and space planet habitation. In this lecture, I would like to review the trend of space experiments in the world, and introduce our platform for simulated space environments.