Characterization of the murine spine for spaceflight studies.

ABSTRACT: Rodents provide a useful analog for understanding the effects of spaceflight on the human body, offering opportunities for investigations into the relationship between microgravity and the musculoskeletal system. In particular, rodents have often been utilized to improve our understanding of the effects of spaceflight on the spine, including intervertebral disc and vertebral body health. However, there are a number of experimental factors that differ between existing works, including mission duration, animal housing, and anatomical location of interest, making it difficult to draw holistic conclusions. Additionally, the quadrupedal nature of the murine spine results in different biomechanical loading than in a bipedal organism. Thus, the objective of this study was to more fully define the

SUBMITTER: Lim S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12074504 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature