NASA’s Human Exploration Has Yet Another Hurdle With Fears of Liver Damage
The ability for humans to survive long-term space travel is now in doubt after mice returned from a 13.5-day ride on the final Atlantis space shuttle flight. The mice were found to have returned with early signs of liver disease.
Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus examined the livers of the mice and found that spaceflight had induced scarring and long-term damage. Karen Jonscher, PhD, and an associate professor of anesthesiology and a physicist at CU Anschutz, who is the study’s lead author, said in a statement:
“Prior to this study we really didn’t have much information on the impact of spaceflight on the liver.
“We knew that astronauts often returned with diabetes-like symptoms, but they usually resolved quickly.”
However, the prospect of liver damage raises new concerns, and cannot simply be ignored. The spaceflight seems to have activated specialized liver cells, which could induce scarring and cause long-term damage to the organ.
Jonscher explained:
“We saw the beginning of nascent liver damage in just 13.5 days. The mice also lost lean muscle mass. We have seen this same phenomenon in humans on bedrest — muscles atrophy and proteins break down into amino acids. The question is, how does that affect your liver?”
Scientists have been studying the impact of spaceflight on human physiology for some time, however, it has been focused on bone, muscle, brain, and cardiovascular function.
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