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Pituitary oxytocin and vasopressin content of rats flown on Cosmos 2044Preliminary studies in rats (COSMOS 1887) suggested that levels of posterior pituitary hormones were reduced by exposure to spaceflight. To confirm these preliminary findings, pituitary tissue from rats flown for 14 days on Cosmos 2044 is obtained. Posterior pituitary content of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) were measured in these tissues as well as those from ground-based controls. The synchronous control group had feeding and lighting schedules synchronized to those in the spacecraft and were maintained in flight-type cages. Another group was housed in vivarium cages; a third group was tail suspended (T), a method used to simulate microgravity. Flight rats showed an average reduction of 27 in pituitary OT and VP compared with the three control groups. When hormone content was expressed in terms of pituitary protein (microg hormone/mg protein), the average decrease in OT and VP for the flight animals ranged from 20 to 33 percent compared with the various control groups. Reduced levels of pituitary OT and VP were similar to preliminary measurements from the Cosmos 1887 mission and appear to result from exposure to spaceflight. These data suggest that changes in the rate of hormone secretion or synthesis may have occurred during exposure to microgravity.
Document ID
19920068871
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Keil, L.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Evans, J.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Grindeland, R.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Krasnov, I.
(Institute of Biomedical Problems Moscow, Russia)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Applied Physiology, Supplement
Volume: 73
Issue: 2, Au
ISSN: 8750-7587
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Accession Number
92A51495
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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