Scientists say a molecule found in python blood may help create new weight-loss drugs – without the nasty side effects linked to current treatments.
Python blood could help people to lose weight
Pythons are famous for their extreme eating habits. They can swallow huge prey whole, then go months – even years – without eating, all while maintaining muscle mass.
Now researchers believe they’ve figured out how.
The study, led by the University of Colorado Boulder and published in Nature Metabolism, identified a molecule that appears to switch off hunger signals in the brain.
After feeding, pythons produce a compound called pTOS, which surged by around 1,000 times during digestion.
When tested on mice, it reduced appetite and triggered weight loss – without muscle loss or nausea.
Expert Leslie Leinwand said: "This is a perfect example of nature-inspired 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."
Current weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are effective – but not perfect.
Up to half of patients quit within a year due to side effects, and as much as a third of weight lost can come from muscle.
Scientists hope python-inspired treatments could offer a gentler alternative.
The molecule appears to act on the hypothalamus – the brain’s hunger control centre – and while it exists in humans, it’s only found at low levels.
Jonathan Long of Stanford University said: "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."
Researchers have now launched a start-up, Arkana Therapeutics, to explore turning the discovery into real treatments.
And the potential doesn’t stop at weight loss.
Pythons’ ability to preserve muscle while fasting could even help tackle age-related muscle decline.
Leinwand added: "There’s a lot more to be learnt."