Can the Burmese Python teach us how to prevent heart disease ?

Burmese python, one of the largest snakes in the world, could hold the secret for new treatments that could prevent or combat human heart disease, U.S. researchers announced, in a study published Thursday in Science, informs AFP .

This reptile, which can measure up to nine meters in length and reach a weight of 90 pounds, able to swallow a deer or an alligator, secret fatty acids whose properties seem to be true miracles of the heart, say researchers University of Colorado at Boulder, the authors conducted on this species of pythons and rats.

According to scientists, the quantities of triglycerides – the main element in the structure of natural fats and oils – were over 50 times higher in blood python, a day after they swallow their prey.

Despite strong growth in body fat level of these snakes, the study authors found no fat deposits in the heart.

In addition, scientists have measured increasing the amount of certain enzymes, called superoxide dismutase, known for her powerful protective effect on heart muscle, including humans.

Once you have determined the chemical composition of blood plasma (fluid component of blood) to python, during digestion, U.S. scientists injected the liquid or a similar substance taken from pythons that had an empty stomach.

After these injections, snakes monitored an increase in cardiac muscle and signs of good cardiac health. The researchers repeated the experiment and the mice and found the same beneficial effects in rodent heart.

“We found that a combination of fatty acids can have beneficial effects on cardiac growth in living organisms,” said Cecilia Riquelme, lead author of the study.

“Now, try to understand the molecular mechanism behind the process and hope that our results will lead to new therapies capable of providing better treatment for human cardiovascular disease,” said Cecilia Riquelme.