Mouse Cardiac Function After Space Radiation Exposure (Echocardiography Data)

NASA's dataset contains echocardiography and Doppler measurements from a study on the effects of low-dose oxygen ions, protons, and gamma rays on cardiac function and structure in male C57BL/6J mice. Data includes measurements of ejection fraction, fractional shortening, blood velocity, and tissue markers for apoptosis and immune cell infiltration taken at intervals up to 9 months post-irradiation. The dataset was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between radiation dose (0-1 Gy) and cardiac function decline based on ejection fraction and fractional shortening measurements.
• Analyzing time-series trends in tissue remodeling based on protein markers like α smooth muscle cell actin and collagen type III.
• Comparing the relative biological effectiveness of different radiation types (oxygen ions, protons, gamma rays) on immune cell infiltration using CD2, CD68, and CD45 protein levels.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a controlled experiment with specific radiation doses (e.g., 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3 Gy) and particle types.
• Longitudinal measurements were taken at multiple time points (2 weeks, 3, 5, 7, and 9 months) after irradiation.
• Includes a reference radiation group (gamma rays) for comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is limited to a single mouse strain (male C57BL/6J) and sex, which may affect generalizability.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Experimental data from cardiac ultrasound and abdominal aorta Doppler assays on irradiated mice.

Time Range

Measurements taken from 2 weeks to 9 months post-irradiation.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:53:20.256637; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Laboratory study; geographic coverage is not applicable.