Funding Status:
Completed - Task completed and produced a deliverable
Procurement Mechanism(s):
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Aims:
Rats will be used to evaluate the potential effectiveness of artificial gravity for the prevention of muscle atrophy and weakness and loss of bone using an innovative system for partial unloading that has been developed previously for mice. Musculoskeletal response will be studied during a period of 4 weeks in adult male rats (n=14 / group) during a period of 4 weeks following exposure to different degrees of unloading representing 0.2G, 0.4G, and 0.7G as well as in fully loaded animals. Muscle and bone structure and function will be assessed, histological analyses will be performed, and measurements of muscle contraction, bone mass, microarchitecture and strength will be collected. In addition, serological and tissue molecular analyses will be perfomed to better understand the mechanisms and time course of development of these changes at different degrees of unloading. This work will also allow a more effectively understanding of the relationship between
the development of muscle atrophy and weakness and bone deterioration at varying levels of artificial gravity.