520-d Isolation and confinement simulating a flight to Mars reveals heightened immune responses and alterations of leukocyte phenotype.
During interplanetary exploration, chronic stress caused by long term isolation and confinement in the spacecraft is one of the major concerns of physical and psychological health of space travelers. And for human on Earth, more and more people live in an isolated condition, which has become a common social problem in modern western society. Collective evidences have indicated prolonged chronic stress could bring big influence to human immune function, which may lead to a variety of health problems. However, to what extent long-term isolation can affect the immune system still remains largely unknow. A simulated 520-d Mars mission provided an extraordinary chance to study the effect of prolonged isolation. Six healthy males participated in this mission and their active neuroendocrine and immune conditions were studied with saliva and blood samples from all participants on chosen time points during the isolation period. As a typical neuroendocrine parameter, stress hormone cortisol was measured in the morning saliva samples. Immune phenotype changes were monitored through peripheral leukocyte phenotype analysis. Using an ex vivo viral infection simulation assay we assessed the immune response changes characterized by the ability to produce representative endogenous pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results of this study revealed elevated cortisol levels, increased lymphocyte amount and heightened immune responses, suggesting that prolonged isolation acting as chronic stressors are able to trigger leukocyte phenotype changes and poorly controlled immune responses.
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
B
B
Yi
Institute for Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russian Federation.
M
M
Rykova
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
M
M
Feuerecker
Institute of Virology (Max von Pettenkofer-Institut), University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
B
B
Jäger
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
C
C
Ladinig
Unit for Experimental Psychiatry, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
M
M
Basner
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
M
M
Hörl
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
S
S
Matzel
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
I
I
Kaufmann
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
C
C
Strewe
Institute for Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russian Federation.
I
I
Nichiporuk
Institute for Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russian Federation.
G
G
Vassilieva
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
K
K
Rinas
Laboratory of Radiobiology, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Mol, Belgium.
S
S
Baatout
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.
G
G
Schelling
Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Klinikum Mannheim, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
M
M
Thiel
Unit for Experimental Psychiatry, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
D F
DF
Dinges
Institute for Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russian Federation.
B
B
Morukov
Hospital of the University of Munich (LMU), Department of Anesthesiology, Research Group Stress & Immunity, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany. Electronic address: alexander.chouker@med.uni-muenchen.de.
A
A
Choukèr
D000328:Adult; D002452:Cell Count; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000276:immunology; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D012463:Saliva; D013026:Space Flight; D018561:Space Simulation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology*
D016207:Cytokines; D006854:Hydrocortisone
Chronic stress; Cortisol; Inflammation; Lymphocytes