2026-04-02 14:00:37

Scientists say a molecule found in python blood may help create new weight-loss drugs – without the nasty side effects linked to current treatments.

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.”

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