Abstract
BackgroundGravity is omnipresent on Earth; however, humans in space, such as astronauts at the International Space Station, experience microgravity. Long-term exposure to microgravity is considered to elicit physiological changes, such as muscle atrophy, in the human body. In addition, certain types of cancer cells demonstrate inhibited proliferation under condition of time-averaged simulated microgravity (taSMG). However, the response of human Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer cells to reduced gravity, and the associated physiological changes in these cells, have not been elucidated.MethodsIn this study, the proliferation of human Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer cells (L-540 and HDLM-2) under taSMG condition (<10−3 G, 1 G is defined as 9.8 m/s2) was studied using a 3D clinostat. Normal human dermal fibroblast (HDF) was proliferated in the same condition as a control group. For the development of 3D clinostat, two motors were used to actuate the frames. Electrical wires for power supply and communication were connected via slip ring. For symmetrical path of gravitational vector, optimal angular velocities of the motors were found using simulation results. Under the condition of taSMG implemented by the 3D clinostat, proliferation of the cells was observed for 3 days.ResultsThe results indicated that proliferation of these cancer cells was significantly (p < 0.0005) inhibited under taSMG, whereas proliferation of normal HDF cells was not affected.ConclusionsFindings in this study could be significantly valuable in developing novel strategies for selective killing of cancer cells such as lymphoma.
Highlights
Gravity is omnipresent on Earth; humans in space, such as astronauts at the International Space Station, experience microgravity
Previous studies have demonstrated that certain types of cells, such as leukocytes [9, 10] and T lymphocytes [11,12,13], show similar results when exposed to real microgravity and time-averaged simulated micrograv‐ ity (taSMG)
In order to investigate whether taSMG elicits varying physiological changes in tumor cells relative to normal cells, we examined the cell viability of human lymphoma cells (L-540 and HDLM-2 cells) and normal human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells regulated under taSMG
Summary
Gravity is omnipresent on Earth; humans in space, such as astronauts at the International Space Station, experience microgravity. Long-term exposure to microgravity is considered to elicit physiological changes, such as muscle atrophy, in the human body. Since the 1960s, hundreds of astronauts that have spent time in space have shown various unpredictable physiological changes such as muscle atrophy, bone demineralization, immune dysregulation, and abnormal cellular functions [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. These findings strongly indicate that the human body experiences physiological changes under microgravity. Clinostats have been utilized to provide taSMG as an alternative of real microgravity condition despite physically different situation in which they are under
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