CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF NATURALKILLER CELLS IN VITRO UNDERMICROGRAVITY

摘要

Changes in the immune response during space flight are close relation to functions of NK lymphocytes and their ability to interact with target cells. The aim of this research was to study NK cells cytotoxic activity and their ability to produce cytokines under microgravity in vitro. The modification of the method to study NK cells cytotoxic activity with the use of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and myeloblasts K-562 (as target cells) proved highly effective (Buravkova et al., 2004). The flight experiment "Cell-to-cell interaction" with the use of the special device "Fibroblast-1" was carried out by Russian cosmonauts within the first two days after the docking when a new crew was taking over on International Space Station (ISS 8 - 10). The data collected on board ISS revealed that NK lymphocytes cytotoxic activity in vitro can increase under microgravity. The ground-based simulation experiments showed that long-term changes in gravity vector direction clinorotation resulted in a smaller increase of NK cells cytotoxic activity than it did in microgravity. As lymphocytes produce cytokines while interacting with target cells, the levels of TNF-a, IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6 in cell-conditioned medium were assessed. The data showed that microgravity has varied effects on cytokines production level.