Simulated Lunar Microgravity Transiently Arrests Growth and Induces Osteocyte-Chondrocyte Lineage Differentiation in Human Wharton’s jelly stem cells.

Human Wharton’s jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) are multipotent stem cells extensively employed in biotechnology applications and can be differentiated into distinct lineages through various culture approaches. However, the impact of simulated microgravity (sμG) on the growth, differentiation, and viability of this cell population is incompletely characterized. We aimed to determine whether acute (72 hour) exposure to lunar sμG (0.16 G) elicited changes in growth, viability and lineage differentiation in hWJSCs and if putative changes were maintained once exposure to terrestrial gravity (1.0G) was restored. Our data support earlier findings that acute sμG significantly reduces cell division potential of hWJSCs, and suggest that actute sμG-exposure induces reversible changes in cell growth accompanied by osteocyte – chondrocyte changes in lineage differentiation.