Growth and mineralization of fetal mouse long bones under microgravity and daily 1 g gravity exposure

Abstract

In a previous Space Shuttle/Spacelab experiment (STS-42), we observed direct responses of isolated fetal mouse long bones to near weightlessness. This paper aimed to verify those results and study the effects of daily 1×g exposure during microgravity on the growth and mineralization of these bones. Two experiments were conducted: one on an American Space Shuttle mission (IML-2 on STS-65) and another on a Russian Bio-Cosmos flight (Bion-10 on Cosmos-2229). Despite differences in hardware, both used 17-day-old fetal mouse metatarsals cultured for 4 days. Results showed reduced proteoglycan content under microgravity compared to 1×g conditions, with no main differences in other cellular structures. While the overall metatarsal length was unaffected, the length increase of the mineralized diaphysis was significantly reduced under microgravity. Daily 1×g exposure for at least 6 h abolished the microgravity-induced reduction in cartilage mineralization, indicating the need for long-duration exposure to 1×g as an in-flight countermeasure using artificial gravity.