Original story from the University of Colorado Boulder (CO, USA). An appetite-suppressing metabolite found in snakes could inform new weight loss therapies. University of Colorado Boulder (CO, USA) researchers have discovered an appetite-suppressing compound in python blood that helps the snakes consume enormous meals and go months without eating yet remain metabolically healthy. The research, a collaboration with scientists at Stanford (CA, USA) and Baylor (TX, USA) universities, could inform new weight loss therapies that promote satiety without the nausea and muscle loss that can come with existing drugs. “This is a perfect example of nature-inspired biology,” commented senior author Leslie Leinwand (University of Colorado Boulder), a distinguished professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology who has been studying pythons in her lab for two decades. “You look at extraordinary animals that can do things that you and I and other mammals can’t do, and you try to harness that for therapeutic interventions.” Metabolic superpowers Pythons can grow as big as a telephone pole, swallow an antelope whole and go months or even years without eating, all while maintaining a healthy heart and plenty of muscle mass. In the hours after they eat, Leinwand’s research has shown that their heart expands 25% and their metabolism speeds up 4000-fold to help them digest their meal. To get a better sense of what makes these superpowers possible, Leinwand teamed up with Jonathan Long, an associate professor of pathology at Stanford University who studies metabolic byproducts in the blood, or metabolites, to learn…
