The influence of weightlessness on pharmacokinetics

Abstract

The primary hostile factor during a spaceflight is the lack of gravity, which can induce space motion sickness and act on bones, muscles and the cardiovascular system. These physiological effects may modify the pharmacokinetics of the drugs administered during the flight producing reduced pharmacological activity or appearance of adverse effects. Given the small number of spaceflights and the difficulties of conducting experiments during missions, pharmacokinetic data obtained in flight are insufficient to determine if drug monitoring is necessary for the drugs present in the onboard medical kit. Therefore, validated earthbound models like tail-suspension performed with animals and long-term bedrest performed with human volunteers are used to simulate weightlessness and to study the pharmacokinetic variations of either absorption, distribution, or elimination of drugs. As a result of these studies, it is possible to make some dosing recommendations but more information is necessary to predict with precision all of the pharmacokinetic variations occurring in spaceflight. To collect more pharmacokinetic information, head-down bedrest studies are still the best solution and as saliva is an appropriate substitution for plasma for some drugs, salivary sampling can be planned during flights.