Bone marrow adiposity modulation after long duration spaceflight in astronauts

Abstract

Space travel requires metabolic adaptations from multiple systems. While vital to bone and blood production, human bone marrow adipose (BMA) tissue modulation in space is unknown. Here we show significant downregulation of the lumbar vertebrae BMA in 14 astronauts, 41 days after landing from six months’ missions on the International Space Station. Spectral analyses indicated depletion of marrow adipose reserves. We then demonstrate enhanced erythropoiesis temporally related to low BMA. Next, we demonstrated systemic and then, local lumbar vertebrae bone anabolism temporally related to low BMA. These support the hypothesis that BMA is a preferential local energy source supplying the hypermetabolic bone marrow postflight, leading to its downregulation. A late postflight upregulation abolished the lower BMA of female astronauts and BMA modulation amplitude was higher in younger astronauts. The study design in the extreme environment of space can limit these conclusions. BMA modulation in astronauts can help explain observations on Earth.