A Current Overview of the Biological Effects of Combined Space Environmental Factors in Mammals

• Published in: Frontiers in cell and developmental biology Vol. 10; p. 861006
• Main Authors: Xu, Ying, Pei, Weiwei, Hu, Wentao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 12-04-2022
• Subjects: Cell and Developmental Biology; combined biological effect; hypomagnetic field; microgravity; space exploration; space radiation; hypomagnetic field; microgravity; space radiation; combined biological effect; space exploration
• ISSN: 2296-634X; 2296-634X
• DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.861006

Distinct from Earth's environment, space environmental factors mainly include space radiation, microgravity, hypomagnetic field, and disrupted light/dark cycles that cause physiological changes in astronauts. Numerous studies have demonstrated that space environmental factors can lead to muscle atrophy, bone loss, carcinogenesis, immune disorders, vascular function and cognitive impairment. Most current ground-based studies focused on single environmental factor biological effects. To promote manned space exploration, a better understanding of the biological effects of the spaceflight environment is necessary. This paper summarizes the latest research progress of the combined biological effects of double or multiple space environmental factors on mammalian cells, and discusses their possible molecular mechanisms, with the hope of providing a scientific theoretical basis to develop appropriate countermeasures for astronauts.