Preparation of Human Muscle Precursor Cells for the MyoGravity Project’s Study of Cell Cultures in Experiment Units for Space Flight Purposes

Abstract

Long-time exposure to the microgravity conditions experienced during space flights induces alterations in the homeostasis of organs and tissues, including skeletal muscles, which undergo atrophy with the loss of mass and strength due to decreased size and altered composition of myofibers. Microgravity conditions can also affect the functionality of satellite cells, i.e., the adult stem cells providing the muscle precursors that are responsible for the growth and maintenance of muscle mass in adult life, as well as for muscle regeneration following a damage. The MyoGravity project, funded by Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), aimed to send human muscle precursor cells (huMPCs) on board the International Space Station (ISS) in order to study the effects of real microgravity on the differentiation capacity of this cell type. To this end, it was necessary to use a methodology to cultivate huMPCs inside dedicated space bioreactor devices (Experiment Units, EUs) specifically designed to cultivate cell cultures and perform scientific protocols in the space environment of the ISS. Here, we report the setting of several cell culture parameters to convert the EUs into suitable devices for biomedical experiments using huMPCs for space flight purposes.