Spaceflight and Long-Term Space Travel May Increase Risk of IBS

First Posted: Aug 10, 2015 10:08 AM EDT

It turns out that spaceflight may actually increase the risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Scientists have found when they subjected mice to simulated spaceflight conditions, the balance of bacteria and the function of immune cells in the gut changed, leading to increased bowel inflammation.

"Our study provides useful insights on the cross-regulation of the mucosal immune system, epithelial barrier and commensal bacteria not only in humans in spaceflight or analog, but also in humans on earth that undergo various stresses," said Qing Ge, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The researchers used four groups of mice, suspending the first and third groups for 14 days by the tail at a 15 degree head-down tilt with their hindlimbs suspended. Access to food and water was ensured using water bottles and gel packs and food distributed around the floor of the cage. Animals demonstrated no adverse effects or pronounced weight loss.

The second and fourth groups were also normal. Though starting from day seven, the third and fourth groups were fed with three percent dextran sulfate sodium dissolved in drinking water to induce inflammatory bowel disease.

So what did they find? The one that had been subjected to spaceflight conditions has altered composition of intestinal bacteria, decreased regulatory T cells, increased neutrophils and imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the colon tissues. The ones that had received the dextran sulfate sodium under spaceflight conditions also had more severe pathology of inflammatory bowel disease than the control group.

"We already know that a trip to Mars and back may well have serious, possibly permanent, effects on the bodies of the astronauts," said Gerald Weissman, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Now we learn that the hidden passengers on that mission-the bacteria their gut-will be affected as well. This lends further credence to the fact that life on Earth, including the microbiome, evolved under gravity and needs it to thrive."

The findings are published in The FASEB Journal.

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TagsIBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, spaceflight, Health, Spacecraft