CSB Seminar: Prof. Jamie Fitzgerald, Henry Ford Hospital

Departmental Seminar

The altered biomechanical environment of microgravity leads to a transient disease state in musculoskeletal tissues characterized by the progressive demineralization of bones and loss of skeletal muscle bulk. However, these tissue changes are reversed upon return to a 1G environment and normal tissue function is restored. The response to microgravity of articular cartilage, a biomechanically important tissue located at the ends of bones in synovial joints, has not been investigated. The effects of extended periods of unloading on articular cartilage are important to define because, unlike bone and skeletal muscle, articular cartilage has a very poor capacity to repair and significant microgravity-induced articular cartilage degradation may have long-term health consequences for flight personnel. To address whether cartilage is negatively impacted by microgravity we investigated the cellular and molecular responses of mouse articular cartilage exposed to 30 days of microgravity as part of the Biospecimen Sharing Program flown on the BION-M1 capsule. Proteoglycan levels and changes in gene expression due to microgravity in articular cartilage were compared with those in sternal fibrocartilage which was used as a non-weight-bearing control. The talk will discuss these data and the potential impact of microgravity-induced cartilage changes on long-term Spaceflight.