In the initial 24 hours following a python’s consumption of a substantial meal, its heart enlarges, becomes more pliable, and strengthens, while its metabolism increases by a staggering forty times. This remarkable transformation could pave the way for innovative treatments for heart diseases and metabolic issues.
Within the first day post-feeding, a python’s heart expands by 25%, its cardiac tissue softens significantly, and it pumps with more than double the intensity. Concurrently, a wide array of specialized genes activates to elevate the snake’s metabolism by fortyfold. After about two weeks, once the meal has been digested, the python’s body returns to its usual state, with a heart that is slightly larger and stronger than its original size.
This fascinating phenomenon, highlighted by CU Boulder researchers in the journal PNAS, may lead to new treatments for a prevalent human condition known as cardiac fibrosis—a condition where heart tissue becomes rigid—along with other health challenges that these impressive snakes seem to avoid so well.
“Pythons can go months, even up to a year in the wild, without food and then consume prey that exceeds their own body weight, yet they suffer no harm,” stated Leslie Leinwand, the senior author of the study and a professor at CU Boulder. “We think they have protective mechanisms that safeguard their hearts from damage that would be detrimental to humans. This research is a significant step towards understanding these mechanisms.”
Leinwand has been studying pythons for nearly two decades, and her lab stands out as one of the few worldwide investigating these non-venomous constrictors for insights potentially beneficial to human health.
Pythons can reach lengths of up to 20 feet, depending on their species, and are typically located in areas with limited resources in Africa, South Asia, and Australia. Although they can endure long periods without eating, when they do feed, they can consume large prey such as deer whole.
“While many researchers studying health and disease use rats and mice as models, there’s much to be learned from creatures like pythons that have adapted to thrive in harsh conditions,” remarked Leinwand.
Leinwand distinguishes two types of heart growth in humans: one healthy, stemming from long-term endurance training, and the other unhealthy, associated with disease.
Similar to elite athletes, pythons are adept at achieving healthy heart growth.
Previous studies showed that approximately a week to ten days following a meal, a python’s heart enlarges, its heartbeat doubles, and its circulatory system becomes milky due to the presence of circulating fats, which surprisingly provide nourishment rather than causing damage to their heart tissue.
The recent study aimed to delve deeper into this remarkable process.
Researchers fed pythons that had fasted for 28 days a meal equating to 25% of their body weight, contrasting them with snakes that had not been fed.
They discovered that in the well-fed snakes, as their hearts enlarged, bundles of cardiac muscle known as myofibrils—responsible for the heart’s expansion and contraction—softened dramatically and contracted with approximately 50% greater force. In addition, there were substantial “epigenetic differences,” concerning which genes were activated or silenced, compared to the fasting snakes.
Further studies are needed to pinpoint the specific genes and metabolites involved and their functions, but this research hints that certain genes may encourage the python’s heart to utilize fat as energy instead of sugar—a task that diseased hearts often struggle with.
Furthermore, stiff or fibrotic tissues also cause diseases in organs beyond the heart, such as the lungs and liver, which opens the door for broader applications.
“We discovered that the python’s heart can undergo significant remodeling, becoming less stiff and more energy-efficient in just 24 hours,” said Leinwand. “If we can understand how pythons achieve this and apply it therapeutically for humans, the impact could be remarkable.”
