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Hibernation as a Tool for Radiation Protection in Space Exploration. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11010054. [PMID: 33466717 PMCID: PMC7828799 DOI: 10.3390/life11010054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
With new and advanced technology, human exploration has reached outside of the Earth's boundaries. There are plans for reaching Mars and the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, and even to build a permanent base on the Moon. However, human beings have evolved on Earth with levels of gravity and radiation that are very different from those that we have to face in space. These issues seem to pose a significant limitation on exploration. Although there are plausible solutions for problems related to the lack of gravity, it is still unclear how to address the radiation problem. Several solutions have been proposed, such as passive or active shielding or the use of specific drugs that could reduce the effects of radiation. Recently, a method that reproduces a mechanism similar to hibernation or torpor, known as synthetic torpor, has started to become possible. Several studies show that hibernators are resistant to acute high-dose-rate radiation exposure. However, the underlying mechanism of how this occurs remains unclear, and further investigation is needed. Whether synthetic hibernation will also protect from the deleterious effects of chronic low-dose-rate radiation exposure is currently unknown. Hibernators can modulate their neuronal firing, adjust their cardiovascular function, regulate their body temperature, preserve their muscles during prolonged inactivity, regulate their immune system, and most importantly, increase their radioresistance during the inactive period. According to recent studies, synthetic hibernation, just like natural hibernation, could mitigate radiation-induced toxicity. In this review, we see what artificial hibernation is and how it could help the next generation of astronauts in future interplanetary missions.
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High-content imaging analysis for detecting the loss of drebrin clusters along dendrites in cultured hippocampal neurons. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2019; 99:106607. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2019.106607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Andrews RN, Dugan GO, Peiffer AM, Hawkins GA, Hanbury DB, Bourland JD, Hampson RE, Deadwyler SA, Cline JM. White Matter is the Predilection Site of Late-Delayed Radiation-Induced Brain Injury in Non-Human Primates. Radiat Res 2019; 191:217-231. [PMID: 30694733 PMCID: PMC6422025 DOI: 10.1667/rr15263.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Fractionated whole-brain irradiation for the treatment of intracranial neoplasia causes progressive neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. The long-term consequences of single-fraction high-dose irradiation to the brain are unknown. To assess the late effects of brain irradiation we compared transcriptomic gene expression profiles from nonhuman primates (NHP; rhesus macaques Macaca mulatta) receiving single-fraction total-body irradiation (TBI; n = 5, 6.75-8.05 Gy, 6-9 years prior to necropsy) to those receiving fractionated whole-brain irradiation (fWBI; n = 5, 40 Gy, 8 × 5 Gy fractions; 12 months prior to necropsy) and control comparators (n = 5). Gene expression profiles from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), hippocampus (HC) and deep white matter (WM; centrum semiovale) were compared. Stratified analyses by treatment and region revealed that radiation-induced transcriptomic alterations were most prominent in animals receiving fWBI, and primarily affected white matter in both TBI and fWBI groups. Unsupervised canonical and ontologic analysis revealed that TBI or fWBI animals demonstrated shared patterns of injury, including white matter neuroinflammation, increased expression of complement factors and T-cell activation. Both irradiated groups also showed evidence of impaired glutamatergic neurotransmission and signal transduction within white matter, but not within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or hippocampus. Signaling pathways and structural elements involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and remodeling were noted within the white matter of animals receiving fWBI, but not of those receiving TBI. These findings indicate that those animals receiving TBI are susceptible to neurological injury similar to that observed after fWBI, and these changes persist for years postirradiation. Transcriptomic profiling reaffirmed that macrophage/microglial-mediated neuroinflammation is present in radiation-induced brain injury (RIBI), and our data provide novel evidence that the complement system may contribute to the pathogenesis of RIBI. Finally, these data challenge the assumption that the hippocampus is the predilection site of injury in RIBI, and indicate that impaired glutamatergic neurotransmission may occur in white matter injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel N. Andrews
- Departments of Pathology, Section on Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
| | - Gregory O. Dugan
- Departments of Pathology, Section on Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
| | - Ann M. Peiffer
- Departments of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
- Departments of Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
| | - Gregory A. Hawkins
- Departments of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
- Departments of Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
| | - David B. Hanbury
- Department of Psychology, Averett University, Danville, Virginia 24541
| | - J. Daniel Bourland
- Departments of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
- Departments of Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
| | - Robert E. Hampson
- Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
| | - Samuel A. Deadwyler
- Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
| | - J. Mark Cline
- Departments of Pathology, Section on Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
- Departments of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
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