Metabolites from python blood have the potential to lead to the creation of weight-loss medications similar to Ozempic, according to new research.
At first, scientists at Stanford University, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Colorado Boulder collaborated to determine which chemical signals allow Burmese pythons to go months without eating.
They ended up finding a metabolite called para-tyramine-O-sulfate (pTOS) in pythons that is also produced naturally in humans after they’ve finished a large meal. Humans produce much smaller amounts of the metabolite than Burmese pythons do.
“If we truly want to understand metabolism, we need to go beyond looking at mice and people and look at the greatest metabolic extremes nature has to offer,” said Jonathan Long, a co-author of the study and a member of Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences.
The research team tested the many metabolites of younger, smaller Burmese pythons by collecting their blood after a 28-day fast and then feeding them meals three days later consisting of about 25% of their body weight. Each snake weighed between 3.3 and 5.5 pounds.
The snakes produced at least 208 unique metabolites, spiking up to more than 32 times their normal concentration in the blood. In contrast, the levels of pTOS in the pythons’ blood jumped to over a thousand times the normal level.
So, pTOS provided signals to suppress the appetite without causing any energy loss, muscle loss, or gastrointestinal problems, unlike GLP-1 drugs.
High doses of pTOS acted on the hypothalamus, which is the region of the brain known for managing hunger, thirst, sleepiness, and other physiological moods. Meanwhile, GLP-1s act on the pancreas, stomach, and other organs.
After further research, the team discovered that the breakdown of tyrosine in the gut and liver produces pTOS. Tyrosine is found in protein-rich foods, such as soybeans, eggs, dairy, and chicken.
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First, bacteria in the large intestine breaks down tyrosine and converts it into tyramine. Next, the liver transforms tyramine into pTOS. The researchers gave the snakes a heavy course of antibiotics, killing the bacteria in their guts. As a result, pTOS levels dropped significantly, showing that gut bacteria is responsible for the first step.
As for what this means for humans, the new findings could help scientists turn pTOS into weight loss therapies. However, they still have a long way to go before it can be used as a medicine. The researchers hope to continue studying the many other metabolites that spiked in the pythons.
“This is a perfect example of nature-inspired biology,” said Leslie Leinwand, senior author of the study and a professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology.
“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.”
The study was published in the journal Nature Metabolism.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
