Pythons can make their heart stronger, and we need to know how

Have you ever considered how a python, after possibly months without feeding, can consume something larger than itself without any adverse effects?

The answer lies in an extraordinary process that scientists from CU Boulder have been investigating.

In the first 24 hours after a python devours its massive prey, its heart grows by 25%, its cardiac tissue softens dramatically, and the organ squeezes harder and harder to more than double its pulse.

Meanwhile, a vast collection of specialized genes kicks into action to help boost the snake’s metabolism forty-fold.

Larger and stronger heart

Remarkably, once the feast has been fully digested – usually within two weeks – the python’s biological systems revert back to normal, with the heart slightly larger and stronger than before.

This extraordinary process has been described by CU Boulder researchers this week in the journal PNAS.

The python’s ability to strengthen its heart could ultimately inspire novel treatments for a host of modern-day ailments that the monstrous snakes seem to miraculously resist.

For example, the python’s cardiac transformation process could inspire treatments for cardiac fibrosis – a common human heart condition characterized by the stiffening of heart tissues.

Potential implications for human health

The fascinating journey of transformation in the python isn’t just an amazing spectacle, but potentially a key to unlock revolutionary therapies for various human ailments.

“Pythons can go months or even a year in the wild without eating and then consume something greater than their own body mass, yet nothing bad happens to them,” said senior author Leslie Leinwand, professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and chief scientific officer of the BioFrontiers Institute.

“We believe they possess mechanisms that protect their hearts from things that would be harmful to humans. This study goes a long way toward mapping out what those are.”

With almost twenty years spent observing pythons, Leinwand’s lab remains one of the few places in the world exploring these creatures with the aim of enhancing human health.

Learning from pythons

As much as 20 feet long, depending on the species, pythons are typically found in resource-scarce regions of Africa, South Asia, and Australia. They fast for extended periods, but when they do have the opportunity to eat, they can swallow a deer whole.

“Most people who use animal models to study disease and health typically focus on rats and mice, but there is a lot to learn from animals like pythons that have evolved ways to survive in extreme environments,” noted Leinwand.

Heart growth in humans can be classified into two categories: healthy (with endurance exercise) and unhealthy (stemming from disease). Interestingly, pythons exhibit the kind of healthy heart growth we see in elite athletes.

Leinwand’s previous work has shown that about a week to 10 days after a meal, a python’s heart significantly increases in size, its heart rate doubles, and its bloodstream becomes laden with circulating fats. Surprisingly, these fats nourish rather than damage their heart tissue.

Python’s eating habits and heart health

Through their most recent study, the CU Boulder team sought to further understand this phenomenon. The researchers fed pythons who had fasted for 28 days a meal of 25% of their body weight and compared them to snakes who had not been fed.

The experts discovered that as the well-fed snakes’ hearts grew, specialized bundles of cardiac muscle called myofibrils – that help the heart expand and contract – radically softened, and contracted with roughly 50% greater force.

In addition, the well-fed snakes exhibited profound epigenetic differences compared to those who had fasted, particularly in terms of which genes were activated or inactivated.

It is speculated that some of these genes might encourage the python’s heart to use fat instead of sugar for fuel – a key process which diseased human hearts struggle to accomplish. Further research is required to identify the exact genes and metabolites involved.

The potential of nature-inspired therapies

Looking beyond the heart, stiff or fibrotic tissues can also drive diseases in other human organs, such as the lungs and liver. Therefore, lessons learned from pythons can potentially extend to treatments for these organs as well.

“We found that the python heart is basically able to radically remodel itself, becoming much less stiff and much more energy efficient, in just 24 hours,” stated Leinwand. “If we can map out how the python does this and harness it to use therapeutically in people, it would be extraordinary.”

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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