Rat Muscle Health Under Simulated Gravity After Gonadectomy

120 Fischer rats were used to study the influence of gonadectomy on muscle atrophy progression in simulated microgravity (0g) and partial gravity (0.4g) environments over 28 days. The dataset, from a NASA study, includes metrics on body weight loss, gastrocnemius muscle loss, and estrous cycle changes. Results indicate females with low estradiol status may experience greater musculoskeletal losses in these environments.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between estradiol levels and muscle atrophy based on estrous cycle phase data
• Comparing musculoskeletal health trajectories between male and female subjects under simulated gravity conditions
• Analyzing the impact of gonadectomy on body weight and specific muscle loss metrics in a controlled experiment

Strengths

• Study includes a controlled sample of 120 rats with specific surgical and gravity exposure groups
• Experimental design simulates three distinct gravity environments (0g, 0.4g, 1.0g) for direct comparison
• Results include statistically significant findings (P=0.005) on estrous cycle changes

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data is stored in a BIN format, which may require specialized tools for access

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Controlled laboratory experiment involving surgical procedures and hindlimb unloading simulation.

Time Range

Experimental period of 28 days following a 2-week recovery.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 20:02:26.737889; freshness should be verified

Geography

Laboratory study; no specific geographic coverage.