EFFECTS OF MICROGRAVITY AND IONIZING RADIATION OVER HUMAN BODY (A REVIEW)

Abstract

The current overview emphasizes on the physiological changes due to the combine effects of microgravity and ionizing radiation. Those two factors are significant to Astrobiology and our ambitions to travel into Space. The development of the technologies gives opportunity to combine and to make comparison between experiments carried out at real cosmic environment like the International space station (ISS) and ground ones, simulating the conditions of interstellar voyage. Experimental animals and cell cultures, representative for the specific system and organs, are used in those types of researches. Data obtained have traced many reliable findings: morphological and functional changes in neuronal tissues (expressed as decreased number of cells and change of their form), vascular system disorders (hemodynamics modulations, pulse rate and blood pressure alteration), and skeletal muscles weakness (change in volume and mass). Effects, due to ionizing radiation, are accelerating apoptosis and activating compensating mechanisms for oxidative stress. Both microgravity and irradiation by ionizing radiation are having combine effects in the cell cycles, genome mutations and apoptosis.

Keywords

• microgravity
• weightlessness
• ionizing radiation
• random positioning machine (rpm)
• rat