Biological Responses to Simulated Microgravity

The microgravity environment experienced in spaceflight induces a range of physiological and cellular adaptations. To investigate these changes on Earth, researchers employ ground-based analogues—such as clinostats, rotating wall vessels and random positioning machines—to simulate the near-weightless conditions of orbital flight. Under simulated microgravity, diverse cell types, tissues and model organisms reveal alterations in cytoskeletal architecture, gene expression, signal transduction and metabolic pathways. For example, reductions in hydrostatic pressure and convective forces disrupt mechanosensing, leading to the reorganisation of actin filaments, modified focal adhesion dynamics and altered cell-cycle progression. Immune cells exhibit changes in adhesion, motility and cytokine secretion, while endothelial cells display shifts in nitric oxide signalling and barrier function. Simulated microgravity also influences stem cell differentiation, promoting shifts towards adipogenic or osteogenic lineages in mesenchymal stem cells and modifying embryoid body formation in pluripotent stem cells. Ground models have further demonstrated interactions between microgravity and other spaceflight factors—such as radiation—which can exacerbate DNA damage and compromise repair pathways. Insights from simulated microgravity experiments underpin the development of potential countermeasures, including pharmacological agents, mechanical loading devices and metabolic interventions, to preserve astronaut health and inform terrestrial biomedical applications in areas such as tissue engineering and mechanobiology.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Biological Responses to Simulated Microgravity publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biological responses to simulated microgravity across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Simulated microgravity: Ground-based methods that reproduce the functional effects of weightlessness by randomising the gravity vector over time to average zero net gravity.

Random positioning machine (RPM): A device that continuously reorients samples along two independent axes to minimise directional gravitational forces on cells or organisms.

Cytoskeleton: The network of actin filaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments that maintains cell shape, enables mechanotransduction and orchestrates intracellular transport.

DNA damage response (DDR): The ensemble of cellular pathways that detect DNA lesions, signal their presence and coordinate repair to maintain genomic integrity.

References

1. Immune System Dysregulation During Spaceflight: Potential Countermeasures for Deep Space Exploration Missions. Frontiers in Immunology (2018).
2. Simulated Microgravity: Critical Review on the Use of Random Positioning Machines for Mammalian Cell Culture. BioMed Research International (2015).
3. The Impact of Microgravity and Hypergravity on Endothelial Cells. BioMed Research International (2015).
4. Interplay of space radiation and microgravity in DNA damage and DNA damage response. npj Microgravity (2017).