Effects of Microgravity and Space Flight on Macrophages

Stephen Keith Chapes

Division of Biology, Kansas State University

Macrophages Respond to

Microgravity in Seconds

Bone Marrow Macrophage Growth is Enhanced During Space Flight

Bone Marrow Macrophage Differentiation is Inhibited During Space

Flight

Space Flight Enhances Macrophage Cytokine Secretion

B6MP102 Macrophage Cells

Growing on Cytodex Beads

Cartoon of the Bioprocessing Units

Used to Assess Macrophage Cytokine

Secretion

Conclusions• Macrophages respond to microgravity within 8

seconds.• Space flight makes bone marrow cells proliferate faster

but it slows the rate at which bone marrow cells differentiate into macrophages.

• Space flight increases the concentration of cytokines the macrophage cell line, B6MP102, secretes.

• THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT MACROPHAGES ARE AFFECTED BY MICROGRAVITY AND SPACE FLIGHT.

References

• Chapes, S.K., E.S. Didier and W.A.F. Tompkins. 1988. Macrophage cell line B6MP102 resembles peritoneal macrophages in tumor cell recognition and killing.J. Leukoc. Biol. 43:28‑35.

• Chapes, S.K., D.R. Morrison, J.A. Guikema, M.L. Lewis and B.S. Spooner. 1992. Cytokine secretion by immune cells in space. J. Leukoc. Biol. 52:104-110.

• Armstrong, J.W., R.A. Gerren and S.K. Chapes. 1995. The effect of space and parabolic flight on macrophage haematopoiesis and function. Exp. Cell Res. 216:160-168.