Experimental Physiology· 2026Q2
Effects of 1 Gray radiation on the biophysical properties of the tibia and femur from hindlimb‐suspended rats
- 0citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
1 Gray of radiation reduced tibia flexure force and stiffness by 37% in hindlimb-suspended rats after 4 weeks, while the femur remained unaffected.
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Key points
- 1 Gray radiation exposure did not alter femur flexure force or stiffness in hindlimb-suspended rats.
- Irradiated rat tibias exhibited a 37% decrease in flexure force and stiffness compared to controls.
- No significant differences in the calcium/phosphorus ratio were observed between irradiated and control groups.
- The findings suggest that smaller hindlimb bones are more susceptible to low-dose radiation damage under simulated microgravity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Long‐term space travel (e.g. travel to Mars) will greatly exceed the recommended lifetime radiation dose of 600 millisieverts (mSv) and have a detrimental effect on skeletal fragility. Our objective was to determine if 1 Gray (GY) radiation impacts the biomechanical properties of the tibia and femur from rats under microgravity. Hindlimb‐suspended male Sprague–Dawley rats were irradiated (IR) with 1 GY (+IR) or used as control (−IR); after 4 weeks they were sacrificed to obtain the femur and tibia. Using the three‐point bending technique, we found radiation had no effect on the flexure force/bending and stiffness of the femur. However, the tibias from the +IR rats demonstrated 37% less flexure force/bending and stiffness than −IR rats. Bone elemental analysis was determined using a scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy; there was no difference in the calcium/phosphorus ratio between +IR and −IR groups. This study provides pilot data which suggest that low dose radiation exposure has a greater impact on the smaller hindlimb bones from hindlimb‐suspended rats.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Experimental Physiology, 2026 · DOI ↗
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