Professor Leslie Leinwand and her research team found a large increase in the amount of triglycerides - the main component of natural fats and oils - in the blood of Burmese pythons, a day after meals. Despite the enormous amount of fatty acids in the bloodstream, there was no evidence of fat deposition in the heart of the serpent and, in addition, the researchers also showed an increase in the activity of an enzyme known to protect the heart from damage .
After identifying the chemical composition of blood plasma pythons, the researchers injected fasting plasma python-plasma or python, or a mixture of fatty acids developed to mimic the plasma. In both cases, pythons showed indicators of heart health . The team carried a step further experiments, injecting plasma python, or mixture that mimics, in mice, with the same results.
'We have observed that a combination of fatty acids can benefit the growth of the heart, "says Dr. Cecilia Riquelme, lead author of the article,' now we are trying to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the process, hoping that the results we guide to new therapies to improve the human heart disease. "
The three major fatty acids in plasma of pythons are myristic acid, palmitic acid and palmitoleic acid. The enzyme showed increased activity in the hearts of snakes during feeding, known as superoxide dismutase, is a known cardio-protective for many organisms, including humans.
Previous studies have shown that the hearts of Burmese pythons can grow by 40 percent between 24 and 72 hours after a meal, and metabolism, immediately after swallowing the prey, you can shoot up to about forty times.
There are good guys and bad heart growth , said Leinwand, an expert on genetic heart disease, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. While heart disease can cause the human heart muscle to thicken, reducing the size of the chambers of the heart, have difficulty getting the blood pumping, on the other hand, the enlarged heart due to exercise is beneficial.
The research team used a technique known as gas chromatography to analyze the plasma of pythons, fasting and after eating, identifying a very complex composition of circulating fatty acids with different patterns of abundance along the digestive process.
In experiments with mice, the animals were connected to 'mini-nukes' , which provided low doses of the fatty acid mixture over a period of one week. Not only the hearts of mice showed significant growth in most of the heart that pumps blood, but there was no increase in fibrosis of the heart.
'It is remarkable that the fatty acids identified in the plasma of plasma pythons can stimulate healthy growth of the heart in mice, "adds Harrison.
