A Protective Strategy to Counteract the Oxidative Stress Induced by Simulated Microgravity on H9C2 Cardiomyocytes

Figure 1

Cell morphology and cytoskeleton architecture. (a) Representative images of H9C2 cells at 1 g (CTR) or s-microgravity (RPM) stained for β tubulin (green), actin (red), and nuclei (blue) acquired at selected times (24, 48, 72, and 96 hours). Scale bar: 20 μm. (b) Representative images of orthogonal XZ projections obtained from 3D reconstruction of Z-stack acquisitions. CTR (1 g) or RPM (s-microgravity) samples were stained to reveal β tubulin (green), actin (red), and nuclei (DAPI, blue). (c) Actin filament length quantification after 24, 48, 72, or 96 hours of exposure to 1 g (CTR) or s-microgravity (RPM) and (d) cell height measurements in the same experimental conditions. (e) Representative Western blots and corresponding densitometric analyses of β tubulin and β actin proteins in H9C2 cells cultured at 1 g (CTR) or s-microgravity (RPM). The densitometric analyses are plotted as the ratio between the optical density of each band and of the corresponding GAPDH band. Data in (c–e) are expressed as the from three independent experiments. vs. CTR; vs. CTR.

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