EXPERIMENT INFORMATION
Rhesus Monkey Metabolism During Space Flight: Measurement of Energy Expenditure Using the Doubly Labeled Water (2H2 18O DLW) Method (8809A09)
Species Studied
Scientific Name: Macaca mulatta Species: Monkey Strain: Rhesus
Objectives:In theory, the energy requirements of larger mammals should be decreased in the microgravity spaceflight environment. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of spaceflight on mean daily energy expenditure in rhesus monkeys.
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Approach:
The doubly labeled water expenditure method for measuring energy expenditure is simple, non-invasive, and highly accurate. If doubly labeled water is given orally, it mixes with the body water in about three hours. The two isotopes then leave the body at different rates. (Labeled hydrogen leaves as water, mainly in the urine, whereas labeled oxygen leaves both as water and exhaled labeled carbon dioxide). Thus the turnover rate of isotopic hydrogen and oxygen labeled water differ, and that difference is proportional to the rate of carbon dioxide production. Urine was used to sample the body water. Energy expenditure was measured for the two flight monkeys over a four day period preflight. Three days preflight the monkeys were redosed with doubly labeled water. The urine was sampled again preflight and immediately postflight.
Results:
In this experiment, the values for mean inflight energy expenditure were significantly less than the preflight values. The approximate 30 percent decrease between the flight subjects and ground controls was found to be statistically significant.
Fuller CA, Stein TP, Griffin DW, Dotsenko MA, Korolkov VI. Rhesus monkey metabolism during spaceflight: measurement of energy expenditure using the doubly labeled water method. Final Reports of the US Experiments Flown on the Soviet Biosatellite Cosmos 2229, Apr 1997.
Stein TP, Dotsenko MA, Korolkov VI, Griffin DW, Fuller CW. Energy expenditure in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) during spaceflight using doubly labeled water. Journal of Applied Physiology, July 1996, 81(1):201-207.
Data Availability
Archive is complete. No data sets are available for this experiment. Please
Contact LSDA if you know of available data for this investigation.
Activity, Carbon dioxide production, primate, Doubly labeled water (2H218O) method
Content, total body water, Primate, Urine, double isotope method, mass spectrograph
Isotope, 18 Oxygen (18O), loss in exhale (carbon dioxide) and urine, primate, Calculated
Isotope, Deuterium (2H), loss in urine (water), primate, Mass spectrograph
Response, energy expenditure, Urine/exhalation measurements, primate: Double isotope method, Mass spectrograph
Mission/Study Information
Mission
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Launch/Start Date
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Landing/End Date
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Duration
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Cosmos 2229
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12/29/1992
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01/10/1993
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12 days
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Managing NASA Center
Ames Research Center (ARC)
Responsible NASA Representative
Ames Research Center LSDA Level 3
Project Manager: Martha Del Alto
Institutional Support
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Alternate Experiment Name
Protocol / Approach
Vivarium control
Synchronous control
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