Pythons’ Metabolism Offers Insights for Obesity Drugs
Pythons have a unique way of handling their food intake—one large meal, like an antelope, and then they can go months without eating. Recent research has identified a specific molecule in pythons that seems key to this extreme metabolic strategy, potentially opening doors for new obesity treatments.
In experiments, when this python metabolite was administered to obese mice, their appetite decreased significantly, leading to rapid weight loss. The researchers suggested that this molecule might mimic the effects of existing weight loss medications, like Wegovy.
Dr. Jonathan Long, an associate professor at Stanford University and one of the study’s co-authors, pointed out, “Of course, we’re not snakes.” Still, he believes that by observing their biology, we might uncover valuable insights into human metabolic processes.
Burmese pythons can grow to impressive lengths, over 5 meters (16 feet), and weigh nearly 100 kg (220 lbs). In their natural habitat, they can eat prey that equals their body weight. Remarkably, after consuming a meal, their heart enlarges by 25%, and their metabolism can increase dramatically—up to 4,000 times—to aid digestion. Following such feasts, they can abstain from food for up to 18 months with minimal health impacts.
The research team initially aimed to uncover the metabolites responsible for the pythons’ remarkable heart growth after eating. They studied young Burmese pythons weighing between 1.5 kg and 2.5 kg, observing their blood both before and after they consumed a meal that was about 25% of their body weight. These snakes had fasted for 28 days prior to the experiment.
They identified over 200 molecules that rose significantly in the snakes’ blood shortly after eating. One molecule stood out for its more than 1,000-fold increase—this is called pTOS, produced by gut bacteria and also found in low amounts in human urine. Long expressed curiosity about whether pTOS influenced any physiological changes in the snakes after eating.
In laboratory tests, when pTOS was given to the mice, it did not seem to impact their energy levels or the size of their organs. “What it did regulate was the appetite and feeding behaviors,” Long noted.
Mice treated with pTOS consumed far less than those in the control group, leading to a 9% reduction in body weight after 28 days.
The way pTOS functions appears distinct from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, which tend to slow stomach emptying, producing feelings of fullness but can also cause side effects like nausea. Instead, pTOS seems to affect the hypothalamus, a brain area involved in hunger control.
Prof. Leslie Leinwand from the University of Colorado Boulder, who has been studying pythons for two decades, remarked that they have found an appetite suppressant in mice that lacks some of the typical side effects linked with GLP-1 medications. He did caution that more research is essential before translating these findings to clinical applications but noted that since pTOS naturally occurs in humans, it should be safe. “I have a healthy respect for snakes,” he commented. “There’s so much to learn from these creatures that have adapted in extraordinary ways.”
The results of this research are detailed in the journal Nature Metabolism.
