Long-term human spaceflight and inflammaging: Does it promote aging?
Ageing Res Rev
; 87: 101909, 2023 06.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36918115
ABSTRACT
Spaceflight and its associated stressors, such as microgravity, radiation exposure, confinement, circadian derailment and disruptive workloads represent an unprecedented type of exposome that is entirely novel from an evolutionary stand point. Within this perspective, we aimed to review the effects of prolonged spaceflight on immune-neuroendocrine systems, brain and brain-gut axis, cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal apparatus, highlighting in particular the similarities with an accelerated aging process. In particular, spaceflight-induced muscle atrophy/sarcopenia and bone loss, vascular and metabolic changes, hyper and hypo reaction of innate and adaptive immune system appear to be modifications shared with the aging process. Most of these modifications are mediated by molecular events that include oxidative and mitochondrial stress, autophagy, DNA damage repair and telomere length alteration, among others, which directly or indirectly converge on the activation of an inflammatory response. According to the inflammaging theory of aging, such an inflammatory response could be a driver of an acceleration of the normal, physiological rate of aging and it is likely that all the systemic modifications in turn lead to an increase of inflammaging in a sort of vicious cycle. The most updated countermeasures to fight these modifications will be also discussed in the light of their possible application not only for astronauts' benefit, but also for older adults on the ground.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Space Flight
/
Weightlessness
/
Sarcopenia
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Ageing Res Rev
Journal subject:
GERIATRIA
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italia