A compound that can suppress appetite has been discovered in python blood by American scientists.
University of Colorado Boulder Distinguished Professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology Dr Leslie Leinwand and Stanford University associate professor of pathology Dr Jonathon Long uncovered this compound that helps pythons eat enormous meals and then go months without food while staying healthy.
Pythons can grow as long as a telephone pole, swallow an antelope whole, and survive months or even years without eating, all while keeping their hearts strong and maintaining plenty of muscle.
Prof Leinwand’s earlier research showed that after a meal, a python’s heart expands by 25% and its metabolism speeds up 4,000 times to digest the massive meal.
To understand how these superpowers work, Prof Leinwand partnered with Assoc Prof Long, who studies metabolic byproducts in blood, known as metabolites.
His lab had previously studied racehorses to understand how their bodies manage energy during intense sprints, giving insight into extreme metabolism in animals.
For their new study, the researchers collected blood from ball pythons and Burmese pythons that were fed once every 28 days, sampling the blood immediately after a meal.
They identified 208 metabolites that increased significantly after eating.
One molecule, called para-tyramine-O-sulphate (pTOS), surged 1,000-fold.
“Obviously, we are not snakes,” said Assoc Prof Long.
“But maybe by studying these animals, we can identify molecules or metabolic pathways that also affect human metabolism.”
Further experiments, done with researchers from Baylor University in the United States, tested pTOS in mice.
They found that giving high doses of pTOS to both obese and lean mice suppressed appetite by acting on the hypothalamus – the brain’s appetite centre – without causing digestive issues, muscle loss or reduced energy.
pTOS is produced by the snakes’ gut bacteria.
It doesn’t naturally occur in mice, but it is found in humans at low levels that increase slightly after a meal.
In future studies, the team plans to explore how pTOS affects humans and to investigate the roles of other metabolites that surge after pythons eat. – dpa
