Python Blood Compound Suppresses Appetite in Mice

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder, in collaboration with researchers from Stanford University and Baylor University, have identified a compound in python blood that suppresses appetite and promotes weight loss in mice, potentially offering a new approach to obesity treatments without the side effects common in existing medications.

The discovery, detailed in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Metabolism, centers on paratyramine-O-sulfate, or pTOS, a metabolite produced by gut bacteria that breaks down the amino acid tyrosine. Levels of pTOS surged nearly 1,000-fold in the blood of ball pythons and Burmese pythons shortly after they consumed a meal equivalent to 25 percent of their body weight, following a 28-day fast. The snakes, known for their extreme feast-or-famine lifestyle, can devour prey approaching their entire body mass and then survive 12 to 18 months without further food, maintaining muscle mass and overall health.

Pythons exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations to such cycles. After feeding, their metabolic rate can increase up to 4,000 times, and their hearts temporarily enlarge by 25 percent to aid digestion. The research team...