Publication Date:
2019-07-17
Description:
Spaceflight-associated stress alters some aspects of the human immune response. In this study, we determined the effects of 10 days aboard the Space Shuttle on the cytotoxic activity of NK and LAK cells. The subjects of this study were crewmembers of two 10-day shuttle flights. Ten-ml blood specimens were obtained from ten astronauts 10 days before launch, immediately after landing, and 3 days after landing. PBMCs were separated from the blood specimens and stored at -800 C. All PBMCs were thawed simultaneously, and the cytotoxic activities of NK and LAK cells were measured by a 4-hour Cr-51 release assay. K562 cells were used to assess NK-cell cytotoxicity. After 4 days of IL-2 activation, the LAK cell cytotoxic activity was determined using K562 and Daudi cells as the target cells. NK-cell cytotoxicity was decreased at landing (p less than 0.0005) in 9/10 astronauts, and in most cases recovered to preflight levels by 3 days after landing; NK-cell cytotoxicity was increased in one astronaut at landing. LAK cytotoxic activity against K562 cells was decreased at landing in 6/10 astronauts (p=0.018), and activity against Daudi cells was decreased in 7/10 astronauts (p=0.01). Phenotyping of PBMCs and LAK cells showed alterations in some surface markers and adhesion molecules (CD1 1 b, CD1 1 c, CD1 1 a, CD1 6, L-Selectin and CD3). Thus spaceflight leads to a decrease in the functions of NK and LAK cells in most astronauts.
Keywords:
Aerospace Medicine
Type:
Society for Leukocyte BIology ''99; Sep 22, 1999 - Sep 26, 1999; Cambridge; United Kingdom
Format:
text
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