The research progress and prospect of mammalian reproduction and embryonic development under space conditions

Abstract

With the rapid development of human space explorations, whether human embryos can develop normally and reproduce beyond the planet of Earth has become a topic of concern for the scientific community and the general public. The long-term exposure to the space environmental factors poses potential hazards to embryonic development and reproductive health of mammals, and they are linked to the adverse effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation. In this review, we summarized the progress in the studies of the reproduction and development of mammals performed in spacecrafts, and with ground-based simulated microgravity and radiation by us and other groups. In particular, we discussed the study of the development of mouse preimplantation embryos under space conditions using the SJ-10 recoverable satellite which was recently published in National Science Review . The potential future studies of mammalian reproductive function and embryonic development in the space environment have also been briefly discussed and proposed. In summary, to accomplish human breeding in the outer space when other planets are colonized, further systematic evaluation of the effects of microgravity, cosmic radiation or other cosmic factors on reproductive and ontogenetic processes is required, while the protective methodology for reducing the reproductive hazards during spaceflight is also needed.