title: [Fatty acid composition of the lipids in human blood plasma and erythrocyte membranes during simulation of extravehicular activities of cosmonauts].
abstract: Dynamics of the lipoacidic content of total plasma lipids and erythtocyte membranes was studied in 32 experiments with ten apparently healthy male subjects aged 27 to 41 years who were exposed to repeated decompression from the normal ground down to 40-35 kPa. For two hours of exposure to lowered pressure the subjects were breathing pure oxygen in mask and performing incremental physical work mimicking loading of the upper extremities of cosmonauts doing extravehicular activities (EVA) at the energy cost of 3 kcal/min. Decompression sessions were repeated with intervals from 3 to 5 days. In seven experiments, the subjects developed symptoms of the decompression sickness (DCS). Penetration of gas bubbles (GB) into the pulmonary artery was registered in 27 cases (84.4%). In 24 cases maximal intensity of the US signals from GB reached 3 to 4 Spencer's points. No changes in the lipidoacidic content of blood plasma or erythrocyte membranes were determined following the first exposure to decompression. BY the onset of repeated decompression, total number of lipids in erythrocyte membranes decreased from 54.6 to 40.4 mg% in the group of subjects who had not displayed DCS symptoms (n = 5) and from 51.2 to 35.2 mg% (p < 0.05) in the group of subjects with DCS symptoms (n = 5). In the subjects with DCS, polyunsaturated linoleic acid (18:2) tended to decrease against the upward trend of saturated fatty acids (16:0, 18:0). In these subjects, arachidonic acid in erythrocyte membranes (20:4) decreased following each decompression exposure and significantly increased (p < 0.05) in-between. In both groups, blood plasma showed slight fluctuations in the lipoacidic contents. These data suggest that exposure to the variety of the EVA-simulating factors may entail quite distinct but reversible modifications in the lipid metabolism in blood and the structural/functional state of erythrocyte membranes. The most marked alterations were observed in the subjects with the DCS symptoms during high intensity of US signals from GB in the venous blood flow.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Skedina
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Katuntsev
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Buravkova
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Naĭdina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018480:Astronauts; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry*; D018478:Extravehicular Activity / Q000502:physiology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D018561:Space Simulation
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008563:Membrane Lipids