No changes were noted 

 test an imals. 



the hearts of the 



does the AP activity, while the MAO and alpha-GFD 

 activity is reduced. 



The same changes were outwardly noted in 

 the control turtles which reached the lift-off 

 point of the probe and were subjected only to 

 the effect of hunger, as in the test animals. 

 The degree of the changes in some organs was 

 less evident. There were less cells with hyper- 

 chromic nuclei in the epithelial crypts of the 

 intestine in the control turtles, single mitoses 

 were evident in the crypts of one of the turtles. 

 The mitotic activity of the cells was noted also 

 in the spleen follicles, which while they were 

 diminished as compared with the spleen follicles 

 of the intact animals, they were still somewhat 

 coarser than in the test animals, i.e., the 

 size of the ducts and the number of germ cells 

 were diminished, and an increase in lipofuscin 

 was observed in the interstitial tissue. In 

 the seminal vesicles of the control animals, in 

 contrast to the test turtles, spermatozo ids were 

 present (Fig. 15). Moreover the SDG, AP, alpha 

 GFD activity in the testes and walls of the 

 seminal vesicles changed slightly. Less definite 

 changes in the fermentative activity, particularly 

 of MAO, were detected in the liver also. 



Therefore, the diameter of the intestine, 

 the thickness of the muscle layer, and the length 

 of the villi of the mucosa diminished in the test 

 and control turtles. Cells with pycnotypic nuclei 

 and lipofucsin inclusions appeared in the epi- 

 thelial crypt, the number of beakei — like cells 

 diminished. All this indicates the development 

 of atrophy of the intestine connected with starva- 

 tion. Its functional activity was reduced, as 

 shown by the suppression of the mitotic activity 

 of the epithelial crypts, and the reduction of 

 the RNA concentration in the epithelial cells 

 of the mucosa. 



Starvation and dehydration of the organism 

 caused changes of atrophic character in other 

 organs also: disappearance of lipids from the 

 liver; diminution in the magnitude and volume of 

 liver and kidr«y cells; accumula t i on of lipofucsin 

 in these organs, particularly 

 tissue of the testes; diminution 

 of the sperm channels and the number of germ cells 

 of the sperma togen ic epithelium; disappearance of 

 sperma tozo ids from the seminal vesicles. 



In our opinion, a certain increase in .the 

 RNA concentration and the glycogen content in 

 the liver cells is associated with the decrease 

 in the cell volume and with their dehydration. 



The rise in iron content in the liver and 

 kidneys is possibly associated with hemolysis of 

 the erythrocytes, as well as with the diminution 

 in its demand for hematopoesis purposes, which 

 are suppressed during starvation. 



Atrophy is caused by changes in the fermen- 

 tative activity of the tissues: in the intes- 

 tine walls, in the testes, liver and kidneys 

 the SDG activity increases, as to a lesser degree 



the interst i t ial 

 i n the d iameter 



However, all the 

 organs cannot possibly 

 effect of starvation, 

 were less definite in 

 were starved at the sa 

 Thus, pycnotypic cells 

 the epithelial crypt 

 control animals; singl 

 be encountered. Sperm 

 the seminal vesicles i 

 as in the intact turtl 

 follicle volume was le 

 fission was manifested 

 activity of the fermen 

 changed less noticeabl 



listed changes in the turtle 

 be explained by just the 

 The fact >s that changes 

 the control turtles which 

 me time as the test animals. 



were rarely encountered in 

 f the intestines in the 

 e figures of mitosis could 

 atozoids were detected in 

 n almost the same quantity 



The d im i nut i on in 

 ss definite. Mitotic cell 



in some follicles. The 

 ts in the tissues also 



y« 



Apparently such a difference should be 

 explained by the additional effect of the space 

 flight factors. A higher degree of reduction in 

 the MAO activity in the organs of the test animals 

 can indicate this in particular. As is known, 

 monoam i noox i dase is a self-oxidizing ferment, 

 participating in the regulation of the exchange 

 of biologically active compounds, including sero- 

 tonine. The serotonine level in the blood changes 

 under the influence of individual flight factors 

 such as overloads, vibrations, penetrating radia- 

 tion (V. V. Parin, et al., 1964-1965; V. V. Antipov 

 et al., I967). 



If peculiarities in ecology, the quite defi- 

 nite seasonal fluctuations in physiological 

 activity which is elevated in turtles during the 

 warm part of the year, are taken into account, 

 then it is here impossible to exclude also the in- 

 fluence of residence of the animals under tropical 

 climate conditions. Also, ship transportation 

 conditions from the splashdown point could be 

 i mportant . 



Therefore, the results obtained indicate that 

 the complex of space flight factors combined 

 with starvation caused changes of atrophic nature 

 in the turtle organs: a diminution in the in- 

 testine walls and in the diameter of the sperm 

 channels, in the volume of liver *nd kidney cells, 

 and in the number of germ cells of the epithelium 

 of the testes, an accumulation of lipofucsin in 

 the organs, suppression of the mitotic activity 

 of the epithelium of the mucous of the intestine, 

 and the hematopoetic tissue of the spleen. Also 

 the fermentative activity of the cells changed. 

 Starvation and transportation to the cosmodrome 

 resulted in less definite atrophy of the tissues. 



A comparison of the changes occurring in the 

 test and control animals showed that the funda- 

 mental structural changes in the turtles were 

 caused by starvation, and to a lesser degree, by 

 space f 1 ight ■ factors. 



