Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Nutrition
Department
Nutrition
First Advisor
Marie Mortreux
Abstract
Artemis missions are set to send the next man and the first woman back to the moon and enable long-term missions on the lunar surface. However, exposure to lunar gravity has significant physiological effects characterized by loss of muscle mass, weakness and decreased bone density. Nutraceutical countermeasures such as Resveratrol (RSV), a naturally occurring polyphenol, have been identified as promising strategies to preserve musculoskeletal health; however, its pleiotropic effect hinders our ability to identify the primary cellular pathways through which it delivers its benefits. Furthermore, its efficacy in simulated lunar gravity is unknown. Based on the benefits observed with RSV supplementation during mechanical unloading, and the striking differences observed between males and females, we hypothesize that Estrogen-Receptor (ER) a may be necessary for RSV to preserve muscle health and function in a lunar gravity analog.
Forty adult male Wistar rats (10/group) were followed for 14 days. A control group was kept freely ambulating, and three groups were exposed to simulated lunar gravity (0.2g) using the rat partial weight-bearing (PWB) model. Two groups received daily RSV supplementation (200 mg/kg/day), and one group also received an ERα antagonist (MPP, 25 µg/day). Muscle function was longitudinally assessed using voluntary grip strength, nerve-stimulated force production, and electrical impedance myography. Biomolecular analyses were performed to better characterize the molecular pathways involved.
Exposure to simulated lunar gravity has a significant impact on body weight and grip strength. Animals exposed to PWB20 experienced muscle deconditioning characterized by a 7.2% and 22.1% drop in body weight and soleus mass, respectively, and a 17.5% reduction in grip strength within 7 days of unloading, while animals supplemented with RSV had grip strength values comparable to the controls. Rats that received RSV supplementation and MPP displayed a 24.5% reduction in grip strength within 7 days. Resistance and reactance at 50 kHz increased significantly in the PWB20 animals, signifying muscle deconditioning. The unloaded animals with RSV supplementation and MPP experienced similar increases in resistance and reactance, whereas that of the PWB100 group decreased. Despite the differences in EIM, body weight, and grip strength, there was no influence on the expression of MURF1, PAX7, p-ERα, ERα, P-AKT, and AKT.
These results align with previous reports and show that RSV preserves muscle function and highlight that ERa is one of the primary pathways through which it delivers its benefits.
Recommended Citation
Ayi-bonte, David, "ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-MEDIATED EFFECTS OF RESVERATROL ON MUSCLE FUNCTION" (2025). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2645.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2645