Aging and putative frailty biomarkers are altered by spaceflight

Abstract Human space exploration is hazardous, causing molecular changes that can alter astronauts' health. This can include genomic instability, mitochondrial dysfunction, increased inflammation, homeostatic dysregulation, and epigenomic changes. These alterations are similar to changes during aging on Earth. However, little is known about the link between these changes and disease development in space. Frailty syndrome is a robust predictor associated with biological aging, however its existence during spaceflight has not been examined. We used murine data from NASA’s GeneLab and astronaut data from JAXA and Inspiration4 missions to evaluate the presence of biological markers and pathways related to frailty, aging and sarcopenia. We identified changes in gene expression that could be related to the development of a frailty-like condition. These results suggest that the parallels between spaceflight and aging may extend to frailty as well. Future studies examining the utility of a frailty index in monitoring astronaut health appear warranted.