PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S ): Charles E. Mengel 



EXPERIMENT TITLE/NUMBER : Red Cell Metabolism Studies on Skylab 



PROGRAM/MISSION : Skylab 2, 3, 4 



CLASSIFICATION : Human 



DISCIPLINE(S) : Hematology 



OBJECTIVES : To study the effects of gravity on the membrane and the 



metabolism of the human red blood cell, and to determine whether any metabolic 



changes or membrane modifications occurred as a result of exposure to the 

 space flight environment. 



PROTOCOL : Blood samples of each crewman were taken on days F-21, F-7, and 

 F-1, 4 times during the first and 8 times during the second and third 

 missions, and on days R+0, R+1, and R+1 4. Blood was analyzed for 

 methemoglobin, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglyceric kinase, 

 lipid peroxides, reduced gluthathione, adenosine triphosphate, glyceraldehyde 

 phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, acetylcholinesterase, phospho- 

 fructokinase, 2, 3-diphosphoglyceric acid, and hexokinase. Inflight samples 

 were frozen and returned to Earth for postflight analysis. 



EQUIPMENT : Inflight Blood Collection System. 



RESULTS : Inflight increases of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, and 

 glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase were found. Changes of adenosine 

 triphosphate and 2, 3-diphosphoglyceric acid were not significant. There was 

 a significant postflight decrease of phosphofructokinase. Significant 

 decreases inflight of phosphoglyceric kinase and acetylcholinesterace and 

 increases of pyruvate kinase were found. 



CONCLUSIONS : It is possible to conclude that there are no evidences of lipid 

 peroxidation (that biochemical effect known to be associated with irreversible 

 red cell damage) . The changes observed in glycolytic intermediates and 

 enzymes cannot be directly implicated as indicating evidence of red cell 

 damage . 



PUBLICATIONS : 394, 395 



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