It happens in astronauts’ bodies when they stay in space.

The human body weakens from one stay in outer space. New study confirms how a group of astronauts recorded decrease in gene activity in leukocytesis critical to the immune system.

The analysis was done on 14 astronauts who spent four to six months aboard the International Space Station. The study found that gene expression in these cells, also called white blood cells, rapidly declined when they hit space. However, they returned to normal soon after returning to Earth.

This explains, for example, why People they are more susceptible to infection during space flight. “Weak immunity increases the risk of infectious diseases, which limit the ability of astronauts to perform their highly complex work in space,” explained molecular biologist Odette Laneville, lead author of the study published this month in the journal. Frontiers in ImmunologyTo Reuters.

This is an important risk to consider during a space mission. If an infection or immune system-related condition develops into a serious condition, astronauts in space will have limited medical options to get help.

NASA and Canadian astronauts participated in space exploration

The researchers examined white blood cells isolated from blood taken from US astronauts. Canadian Space Agency and American Space Agency NASA. They drew blood once before the flight, four times on the space station and five times after returning to Earth.

The study found that gene expression in 247 genes in leukocytes were about a third of normal. This decrease in the body of astronauts occurred during the first days of their stay in space.. However, the record did not continue to decline, but remained stable. The genes returned to normal about a month after returning to Earth.

Leukocytes are cells that are produced in the bone marrow. From there, they travel through the bloodstream and tissues. They are responsible for detecting possible external invaders such as bacteria or viruses. When they do this, they begin to produce antibody proteins to protect the body. The specific genes considered in the analysis are those that regulate the release of these proteins.

Prior to this study, it was already known that astronauts in space had compromised immune systems. But how that happened is not known, said study co-author Guy Trudel, a rehabilitation medicine specialist at Ottawa Hospital. This is “a significant step towards understanding the dysregulation of the human immune system in space.” Trudel commented.

Other negative effects in space

Not only that, the immune system deteriorates. Other studies have shown that being in space promotes the reactivation of latent viruses in the body astronauts. Among them is Epstein-Barr, responsible for infectious mononucleosis. Also chickenpox zoster, which causes herpes zoster.

Humans in space have also been shown to shed more viral particles in fluids such as saliva and urine. This increases the risk of other astronauts getting sick. Among the documented effects on the body are also bone and muscle atrophy, problems with the balance system in the inner ear And cardiovascular changes. The question of whether increased exposure to solar radiation increases the likelihood of getting cancer is still being studied.