Wine and rats: the use of resveratrol to restore muscle under Martian gravity

For many years, science fiction writers from all over the world on the pages of their works dreamed of space travel and colonization of distant planets, the first of which Mars comes to mind. The red planet attracts not only science fiction authors, but also the scientific community. And so the thoughts of the colonization of Mars ceased to be so crazy, and the whole world joined the new space race. For people who are the first to step on the surface of the fourth planet from the Sun, many tests will be prepared, ranging from the incredible temperature range (from 30 ° to -170 °) and ending with gravity, which is almost three times less than Earth's (3.711 m / s² against 9,807 m / s²). Today we’ll talk about a study in which NASA scientists are trying to identify new ways to reduce the negative effects of reduced gravity on human muscles. What substances can help with this, where to find them, how Martian rats felt during practical experiments, and what does red wine have to do with it? We learn about all this from the report of the research group.

Study basis

No matter how we relate to the idea of ​​the colonization of Mars, someone will do it sooner or later, or at least try to do it. And if we want both the flight and the time spent on the planet itself to be safe, we need to seriously prepare.
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And the question of gravity on Mars is extremely important from a biological point of view for everyone who decides to go on a flight to the red planet. Previously, the problem was also that the effect of reduced gravity on living organisms was not as studied as the effect of microgravity. For example, astronauts on the ISS are engaged in physical exercises to minimize the negative impact of microgravity.


Karen Nyberg talks about physical exercises on the ISS, and more specifically about the treadmill.

However, two PWBs (partial weight bearing systems) have recently been developed to simulate partial gravity for mice and rats. These models allow us to study changes in the muscle structure of experimental rodents under simulated conditions of Martian gravity.

Scientists in their work decided to move away from charging and pay attention to a diet that can help preserve the astronaut's bone and muscle mass. One of the items on the menu of the osteoprotective diet can be red wine, since it is made from grapes whose peel contains resveratrol (hereinafter RSV). Of course, you can do without wine, eating grapes themselves or other products containing resveratrol (blueberries, mulberries, cocoa, nuts, etc.). But here the question of gastronomic preferences and concentration already arises: in red wine - 0.27 mg per 150 ml, in peanuts - 0.01-0.26 mg per 146 g, in mulberry - 50 μg per 1 g, etc. In addition, resveratrol can simply be used as a dietary supplement, but it's not so interesting, is it. But we were distracted.

In this work, scientists, combining the PWB model and information regarding the osteoprotective properties of resveratrol, conducted practical experiments involving experimental rats.

Preparing for experiments

The experiments involved 24 male Wistar rats (a specially bred species of laboratory rats), the average weight of each of which was about 425.73 g, and the age was 14 weeks. All experimental subjects were placed in a chamber with a controlled temperature (22 ° C) and a lighting cycle of 12:12 hours.



All subjects were wearing PWB, as seen in the photo above. Thus, the level of gravity necessary for the study was achieved - 0.4 (PWB40), i.e. 40% of Earth's gravity (PWB100).

Half of the experimental rats were orally administered 150 mg / kg of resveratrol daily. In total there were 4 groups: PWB40, PWB100 and PWB40 + RSV, PWB100 + RSV.

Rats from both groups were examined weekly by weighing and measuring the circumference of the legs. The strength of the front and hind legs was also checked weekly with a gripping force meter.

After 14 days of testing, the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were taken. First, their mass was measured, after which the muscles were placed in 10% formalin for 48 hours and covered with paraffin for immunohistochemical analysis.

Experiment Results

Image No. 1: changes in body weight, circumference, and grip strength of the limbs of experimental subjects from 4 groups.

As can be seen from graph 1A , the addition of resveratrol did not affect the body weight of the experimental subjects. The limb circumference of the PWB40 subjects significantly decreased compared to the initial (before the experiments) and was smaller than that of the control subjects (PWB100 and PWB100 + RSV), which experienced gravity ( 1B ).

However, after 14 days, only rats from the PWB40 group showed a grip of the forepaws lower than the base and a grip power of the hind legs lower than in the experimental groups of all other groups ( 1C ). That is, rats that experienced Martian gravity became weaker than rats that experienced terrestrial gravity with / without resveratrol or Martian, but with resveratrol. A significant decrease in hind limb grip strength ( 1D ) was noticeable already 7 days after the start of the experiments.

The use of resveratrol kept the capture force at a pre-experimental level in rats that were subjected to Martian gravity ( 1C and 1D ).


Image No. 2. The results of the analysis of muscle mass: triceps muscle of the leg, consisting of soleus ( A ) and gastrocnemius ( D ) muscles; cross-sectional area (CSA): soleus ( B ) and gastrocnemius ( E ). Pictures of soleus ( C ) and gastrocnemius ( F ) muscles of experimental groups of 4 groups.

The mass of soleus muscle in rats from the PWB40 group decreased significantly, as did the CSA, compared with the PWB100 groups, i.e. with earth gravity, and PWB100 + RSV. But in rats from the PWB40 + RSV group, the use of resveratrol prevented muscle atrophy and partially saved CSA.

At the same time, curiously, the use of resveratrol in terrestrial gravity (group PWB100 + RSV) had practically no effect.

As can be seen in pictures 2C , there is a significant decrease in the degree of changes in skeletal muscle tissue in the soleus muscle of experimental subjects from the PWB40 + RSV group. The calf muscle in the experimental group PWB40 decreased significantly in mass ( 2D ) and CSA ( 2E , 2F ). At the same time, the use of resveratrol increased the muscle mass of the experimental group PWB40 + RSV, but did not completely restore CSA.

Scientists also note that the use of resveratrol did not affect the general condition of the experimental subjects, that is, there were no side effects, such as loss of appetite, which could lead to a decrease in muscle mass.

If you compare all 4 groups, then two of them are identical in terms of performance - PWB40 + RSV and PWB100. In other words, rats that were under the influence of Earth's gravity did not differ (in terms of muscle condition) from rats that were under the influence of Martian gravity, but at the same time they used resveratrol.

For a more detailed familiarization with the nuances of the study, I recommend that you look into the report of scientists .

Epilogue

Traveling to Mars is not an easy task, given the many obstacles that must be overcome in order for everything to go 100% successfully and safely. Some of these barriers have already been overcome thanks to the collective efforts of scientists from around the world. Some of them have yet to be overcome. Gravity on Mars and on Earth is one of the most striking differences between these planets. Not to pay attention to this would be incredibly arrogant and frankly stupid. Solving the problem of gravity will greatly facilitate the life of future researchers and colonists of Mars.

The idea of ​​using resveratrol is not so crazy as it might seem to someone at first glance. This substance is present in foods that we eat (and drink) not so rarely. Given that the use of special training equipment to maintain muscle tone may not be available both during flight and on Mars itself, the use of a more passive approach is fully justified. In addition, exercise can be combined with resveratrol, which can have an improved effect. However, the last statement, as well as the necessary dosages of resveratrol for humans, given the different physiology, has yet to be studied, which scientists will do in the future.

At least none of NASA offers the colonists to go through a cyber modification to become an IEC fighter, as in XCOM. As they say, there are no extremities - there are no problems with muscles.





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