Astronaut omics and the impact of space on the human body at scale

This research explores how space travel might change the way our bodies process medications, which is important for astronauts' health. On Earth, we have enzymes called Cytochrome P450 (CYP) that help break down drugs in two steps - one step makes a water-soluble form of the drug less active and easier to remove from our bodies through urine or sweat. These CYP enzymes are crucial for how we handle medicines, but they can change when people go into space because things like gravity affects hormones that control these enzymes in our liver where most of this work happens. The study suggests creating personal drug metabolism profiles based on an astronaut's genetic makeup to predict how their body might handle medications differently while they are orbiting Earth. This is important because if the way drugs break down changes, it could mean that some people may not get enough of a medicine or too much and this can be dangerous for them in space where medical help isn't always close by.

This research paper explores personal astronaut pharmacokinetic profiles, focusing specifically on the two reaction phases involved in drug biotransformation. The first phase typically results in a more water-soluble and less active metabolite through hydroxylating enzymes from the Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) superfamily-a process that accounts for approximately 75% of total drug metabolism on Earth. The paper highlights recent findings suggesting alterations in CYP450 gene expression due to changes in insulin and estrogen signaling during spaceflight, which could impact astronaut health by affecting how drugs are processed within the body39-41. To address this concern for human missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), researchers propose generating CYP450 genetic variant profiles based on consenting astronauts' DNA, which could then be cross-referenced with mission drug lists to ensure safe and effective medication use in space.