Long space flights and even just staying in near-earth orbit can hardly be called beneficial to health. Zero gravity and cosmic radiation do not have the most positive effect on our body, which adds to the difficulties in realizing the long-standing dream of mankind to colonize Mars. And recently, a group of scientists from Georgetown University revealed another negative consequence arising from a long stay in space. Namely, the degradation of the intestinal and stomach mucosa.
The new study was conducted by American scientists led by Professor Kamal Datta. The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and according to the data obtained, during an experiment to simulate a long space flight, a group of laboratory animals were found to have significant damage to gastrointestinal cells.
During the experiment, laboratory rats were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 was exposed to low-intensity radiation of iron-56 ions. Group 2 received short bursts of gamma radiation, and group 3 acted as a control and was not irradiated at all. The radiation doses were calculated in accordance with the weight and size of the animals in such a way as to correspond to the doses received by astronauts working on the ISS in orbit of our planet.
It turned out that in the irradiated groups of rats the gastrointestinal tract significantly lost the function of absorption. The animals also showed mucosal atrophy. During histological examination, it was possible to find out that the upper layers of the mucous membrane have practically lost their ability to divide normally, being overfilled with "old and defective" cells. And this is, among other things, a risk factor for the development of cancer. At the same time, despite the fact that the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract have a fairly good potential for regeneration, according to scientists, violations of the structure of organs in rodents exposed to irradiation turned out to be irreversible, which means that the gastrointestinal tract can no longer "return to its original state."
Vladimir Kuznetsov
