NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Molecular and Histopathological Changes in Mouse Intestinal Tissue After Proton ExposureRadiation in space, including types from solar particle events (SPE's), poses serious health risks to astronauts and is especially dangerous for long duration missions. Protons are the most abundant particles in deep space and to date there is little known about the details of the negative consequences crew members will face upon exposure to them. This ongoing project involves a mouse model subjected to several minutes of proton radiation at an energy of 250 MeV and doses of 0 Gy, 0.1 Gy, 1 Gy, and 2 Gy. The gastrointestinal tract of each animal was dissected four hours post-irradiation and the small intestine was isolated and flash-frozen. Three specimens per dose were studied. Tissue was homogenized and RNA was isolated in order for cDNA synthesis and real-time PCR to be performed. Gene expression changes are currently being analyzed specific to mouse apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry will be used to confirm any significant changes found in the analyses. Immunohistochemistry is also being used to observe gamma H2AX staining to learn of any DNA damage that occurred as a result of proton exposure. We expect to see increased DNA damage due to proton exposure. Finally, histopathologic observation of the tissue will be completed using standard H&E staining methods to screen for morphologic changes. Increased apoptosis is expected to be seen in the tissues which is typical of radiation damage. Observations will be confirmed by a pathologist.
Document ID
20100004497
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Purgason, A.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Zhang, Y.
(Wyle Labs., Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Wu, H.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
February 3, 2010
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-19692
JSC-CN-21162
Meeting Information
Meeting: Committee On Space Research (COSPAR) Scientific Assembly
Location: Bremen
Country: Germany
Start Date: July 18, 2010
End Date: July 25, 2010
Sponsors: Committee on Space Research, NASA Johnson Space Center
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available