The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound Healing
The future objectives of human space flight are changing from low-term permanence in the International Space Station to missions beyond low Earth orbit to explore other planets. This implies that astronauts would remain exposed for long time to a micro-gravity environment with limited medical suppor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.666434/full |
| _version_ | 1819159074812461056 |
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| author | Stefano Bacci Stefano Bacci Daniele Bani Daniele Bani |
| author_facet | Stefano Bacci Stefano Bacci Daniele Bani Daniele Bani |
| author_sort | Stefano Bacci |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The future objectives of human space flight are changing from low-term permanence in the International Space Station to missions beyond low Earth orbit to explore other planets. This implies that astronauts would remain exposed for long time to a micro-gravity environment with limited medical support available. This has sparkled medical research to investigate how tissues may adapt to such conditions and how wound repair may be influenced. This mini-review is focused on the effects of microgravity and unloading conditions on the epidermis and its keratinocytes. Previous studies, originally aimed at improving the in vitro protocols to generate skin substitutes for plastic surgery purposes, showed that epidermal stem cells cultured in simulated microgravity underwent enhanced proliferation and viability and reduced terminal differentiation than under normal gravity. In the meantime, microgravity also triggered epithelial-mesenchymal transition of keratinocytes, promoting a migratory behavior. The molecular mechanisms, only partially understood, involve mechano-trasduction signals and pathways whereby specific target genes are activated, i.e., those presiding to circadian rhythms, migration, and immune suppression, or inhibited, i.e., those involved in stress responses. However, despite the above in vitro studies suggest that microgravity would accelerate keratinocyte growth rate and migration, in vivo findings on animals in experimental set-ups to simulate low gravity rather suggest that prolonged mechanical unloading contributes to delayed and impaired epidermal repair. This is in keeping with the finding that microgravity interferes at multiple levels with the regulatory signals which coordinate the different cell types involved in the repair process, thereby negatively influencing skin wound healing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T16:34:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d40ea021b55b4d61b3004722598810d9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-4185 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T16:34:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d40ea021b55b4d61b3004722598810d92022-12-21T18:19:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology2296-41852022-03-011010.3389/fbioe.2022.666434666434The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound HealingStefano Bacci0Stefano Bacci1Daniele Bani2Daniele Bani3Research Unit of Histology and Embryology, Florence, ItalyDepartment Biology, Florence, ItalyResearch Unit of Histology and Embryology, Florence, ItalyDepartment, Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, ItalyThe future objectives of human space flight are changing from low-term permanence in the International Space Station to missions beyond low Earth orbit to explore other planets. This implies that astronauts would remain exposed for long time to a micro-gravity environment with limited medical support available. This has sparkled medical research to investigate how tissues may adapt to such conditions and how wound repair may be influenced. This mini-review is focused on the effects of microgravity and unloading conditions on the epidermis and its keratinocytes. Previous studies, originally aimed at improving the in vitro protocols to generate skin substitutes for plastic surgery purposes, showed that epidermal stem cells cultured in simulated microgravity underwent enhanced proliferation and viability and reduced terminal differentiation than under normal gravity. In the meantime, microgravity also triggered epithelial-mesenchymal transition of keratinocytes, promoting a migratory behavior. The molecular mechanisms, only partially understood, involve mechano-trasduction signals and pathways whereby specific target genes are activated, i.e., those presiding to circadian rhythms, migration, and immune suppression, or inhibited, i.e., those involved in stress responses. However, despite the above in vitro studies suggest that microgravity would accelerate keratinocyte growth rate and migration, in vivo findings on animals in experimental set-ups to simulate low gravity rather suggest that prolonged mechanical unloading contributes to delayed and impaired epidermal repair. This is in keeping with the finding that microgravity interferes at multiple levels with the regulatory signals which coordinate the different cell types involved in the repair process, thereby negatively influencing skin wound healing.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.666434/fullmicrogravitykeratinocytesepidermisepidermal stem cellsskinwound healing |
| spellingShingle | Stefano Bacci Stefano Bacci Daniele Bani Daniele Bani The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound Healing Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology microgravity keratinocytes epidermis epidermal stem cells skin wound healing |
| title | The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound Healing |
| title_full | The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound Healing |
| title_fullStr | The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound Healing |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound Healing |
| title_short | The Epidermis in Microgravity and Unloading Conditions and Their Effects on Wound Healing |
| title_sort | epidermis in microgravity and unloading conditions and their effects on wound healing |
| topic | microgravity keratinocytes epidermis epidermal stem cells skin wound healing |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.666434/full |
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