naked molerats can survive nearsuffocation
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

Naked mole-rats can survive near-suffocation

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Naked mole-rats can survive near-suffocation

Naked mole-rats can survive near suffocation by acting like plants
Miami - AFP

When deprived of oxygen, naked mole-rats have a unique ability to convert sugar to energy, a skill that might one day help treat victims of heart attack and stroke, researchers said Thursday.

These cold-blooded mammals have long been a source of fascination for scientists because they can live 30 years, rarely get cancer and do not seem to feel most kinds of pain.

Researchers reported in the journal Science that when naked mole-rats are exposed to oxygen levels low enough to kill a person in minutes, they can survive for at least five hours.

They do so by acting like plants, converting fructose to energy to keep their brain cells alive.

In the absence of oxygen, large amounts of fructose flowed into their bloodstreams, and were carried to brain cells.

"The naked mole-rat has simply rearranged some basic building blocks of metabolism to make it super-tolerant to low-oxygen conditions," said lead author Thomas Park, professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The rodents go into a state of suspended animation, moving very little and lowering their pulse and breathing rate. They use fructose to survive until oxygen is available again.

"The naked mole-rat is the only known mammal to use suspended animation to survive oxygen deprivation," said the study.

There is a reason naked mole-rats have this unusual metabolism -- it could be an adaptation to living in crowded burrows where oxygen is hard to find.

"The air can get very stuffy in these underground burrows," said professor Gary Lewin, a co-author and researcher at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association.

Their heart rate drops from 200 beats per minute to about 50.

Once oxygen becomes available again, they take a whiff and start stirring again, as if nothing ever happened, the report said.

If scientists could harness this process and apply it humans, it could aid the survival of people who are deprived of oxygen during cardiac crises like heart attacks or strokes.

"Our work is the first evidence that a mammal switches to fructose as a fuel," said Lewin.

"Theoretically, very few changes might be needed to adopt this unusual metabolism."

But it remains to be seen if human cells could be coaxed into behaving this way.

"Patients who suffer an infarction or stroke experience irreparable damage after just a few minutes of oxygen deprivation," he noted.

source: AFP

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

naked molerats can survive nearsuffocation naked molerats can survive nearsuffocation



GMT 05:35 2017 Tuesday ,09 May

Standard Chartered launches

GMT 07:42 2017 Thursday ,02 February

Mirhan Hussein absent from Ramadan 2017 Drama

GMT 08:08 2017 Thursday ,23 March

Pimm's cake

GMT 06:22 2012 Wednesday ,01 February

Egypt revolution’s broken promises

GMT 15:08 2013 Wednesday ,01 May

My spa experience at The Dior institut

GMT 07:34 2013 Friday ,12 April

Japan races to read new Murakami novel

GMT 06:26 2016 Tuesday ,26 January

Zika virus expected to spread throughout Americas

GMT 15:50 2011 Sunday ,13 November

Israeli authorities open Karm Abu Salem crossing

GMT 17:37 2012 Monday ,01 October

Craig, Applegate to host \'SNL\'

GMT 13:52 2018 Friday ,14 December

Israeli troops arrest dozens in West Bank

GMT 13:28 2018 Sunday ,09 December

US tells Russia to scrap 9M729 missile or modify it

GMT 17:43 2018 Wednesday ,05 December

Art of Azerbaijan carpets fascinates South Koreans

GMT 18:18 2018 Wednesday ,31 October

UAE Minister visits Emirati troops in Aden

GMT 15:07 2018 Monday ,08 October

Shah Rukh Khan returns to Dubai

GMT 20:10 2016 Thursday ,06 October

Egypt marks October 6 war anniversary by air shows
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday