Astronauts exposed to spaceflight conditions can lose 1-2% of their bone mineral density per month from the weight-bearing portions of the skeletal system. Low bone mineral density, termed osteopenia, is the result of decreased bone formation and/or increased bone resorption. In this study, Raman spectroscopy is used to examine if the physicochemical composition of murine femurs is altered in response to simulated spaceflight conditions (hindlimb suspension). Female C57BL/6J mice, aged 53 days, were divided into ground control and simulated spaceflight groups for a period of 12 days, modeling the experiment profile of mice flown on Space Shuttle flight STS-108. After the study, the mice were sacrificed and femur specimens harvested. Mid-diaphysis sections were probed using near-infrared Raman microscopy. Spectra were collected at various anatomical sites (anterior, lateral, medial, and posterior quadrants) and/or cortical locations (periosteal, midosteal, and endosteal). Chemometric recovery of spectra was employed to reduce signal contributions from the epoxy embedding agent. Mean values for mineralization, carbonation, crystallinity, and other parameters associated with the matrix were estimated. Correlations between mineralization and carbonation were observed, despite the small absolute changes between the two groups. We present more detailed analysis of this data and comment on the prospects for Raman spectroscopic evaluation of bone quality in hindlimb suspended (HLS) specimens.
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