How hibernating hamsters could help astronauts
With the freezing temperatures recently hitting parts of the northeastern United States, the idea of ​​curling up for the winter and snoozing until spring sounds very appealing.
There is only one problem for our species – in fact, there may be several. When it comes to the science of hibernation, a long period of cold and inactivity is generally not good for human muscle tissue and muscle stem cells, nor for the cells that carry out muscle tissue repair and maintenance. This problem exists for most animals, but not for those that hibernate and let the winter pass.
In this context, researchers studied how the muscles of hibernating animals are protected during long periods of inactivity and intense cold. In a study recently published in The FASEB magazineScientists have found that in these situations, muscle stem cells stay alive, essentially putting their activity on hold.
In other words, when faced with extremely low temperatures, the cells in question do not die: they become inactive, explains Mitsunori Miyazaki, co-author of the study and biochemist at Hiroshima University in Japan. Popular science. Muscle repair can resume when they are warm again. Thanks to this dynamic, hibernating animals save energy and conserve muscle stem cells.
“Our results suggest that hibernating animals do not simply tolerate muscle damage during winter. Instead, they actively suppress muscle repair in a controlled and reversible manner,” says Miyazaki.
All joking aside, understanding how animals hibernate could provide insight into how to help people forced to experience hibernation-like states.
“Understanding how muscle stem cells survive extreme cold while temporarily reducing their activity may provide useful information for preventing muscle loss in humans, for example in cases of aging, prolonged bed rest or medical hypothermia,” says Miyazaki. “It may also offer clues for protecting muscles during long-term spaceflight, where the absence of gravity leads to severe muscle loss.”
Next, how about learning how to actually hibernate?
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