Muscle sarcomere lesions and thrombosis after spaceflight and suspension unloading

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992 · Journal of Applied Physiology (1985); (United States)

OSTI ID:6650742

Riley, D A; Ellis, S; Giometti, C S; Hoh, J F.Y.; Ilyina-Kakueva, E I; Oganov, V S; Slocum, G R; Bain, J L.W.; Sedlak, F R ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)

Extended exposure of humans to spaceflight produces a progressive loss of skeletal muscle strength. This process must be understood to design effective countermeasures. The present investigation examined hindlimb muscles from flight rats killed as close to landing as possible. Spaceflight and tail suspension-hindlimb unloading (unloaded) produced significant decreases in fiber cross-sectional areas of the adductor longus (AL), a slow-twitch antigravity muscle. However, the mean wet weight of the flight AL muscles was near normal, whereas that of the suspension unloaded AL muscles was significantly reduced. Interstitial edema within the flight AL, but not in the unloaded AL, appeared to account for this apparent disagreement.In both conditions, the slow-twitch oxidative fibers atrophied more than the fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic fibers. Microcirculation was also compromised by spaceflight, such that there was increased formation of thrombi in the postcapillary venules and capillaries.

• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6650742
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physiology (1985); (United States), Vol. 73:2; ISSN 8750-7587
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
MUSCLES
ATROPHY
EDEMA
WEIGHT
RATS
SPACE FLIGHT
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
HISTOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES
LIMBS
MITOCHONDRIA
MYOSIN
SKELETON
THROMBOSIS
UNLOADING
WEIGHTLESSNESS
ANIMALS
BODY
BODY AREAS
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
CELL CONSTITUENTS
DISEASES
GLOBULINS
MAMMALS
MICROSCOPY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PROTEINS
RODENTS
SYMPTOMS
VASCULAR DISEASES
VERTEBRATES
551000* - Physiological Systems