The reason why East African mole rats can survive for 20 minutes without oxygen

An oxygen level is so low that humans will die within minutes.

The East African mole rat (scientific name Heterocephalus glaber) is not a common mammal, it has the ability to fight cancer, live 9 times longer than other mice, can survive for nearly 20 minutes without oxygen and almost no pain.

But according to a recent study, these hairless creatures are even more exotic than what scientists imagine.

A new study has shown that when this strange mole is deprived of oxygen, their metabolism takes place more like plants than mammals.

Unlike other mammals, when the East African mole's brain cells were deprived of oxygen, they did not happen to run out of energy and die.

In fact, East African mole rats that can survive for 5 hours with extremely low oxygen levels can kill humans in a few minutes, and recent research has shown that they can withstand 18 minutes without oxygen at all. By letting the body fall into a state of plant life. Normal mice will die after 20 seconds without oxygen.

Previous studies have shown that East African mole rats save energy by slowing down movements, reducing respiratory rate and reducing their heart rate. They are the only mammals known to survive without oxygen thanks to this "reservation" method.

Scientists have long been puzzled about how these mole mice can survive in such conditions without long-term damage. Normally, the lack of oxygen causes the accumulation of harmful metabolites and death of brain cells.

But now, researchers think they have found the answer.

Instead of relying solely on an oxygen-dependent glucose system, when the East African mole is deprived of oxygen, they convert metabolic processes to make brain cells start using Fructose to generate energy instead of use of glucose.

Fructose can be converted into inorganic energy - meaning that it does not require the presence of oxygen to form cellular energy. So far, this anaerobic (without oxygen supply) method is thought to be only available in plants.

" This is the latest remarkable discovery of the East African mole - a cold-blooded mammal that has lived for more than a decade compared to other rodents, rarely has cancer and does not almost feel pain , "Thomas Park, a research lead from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

The team showed that this mammal will continue to metabolize fructose in this state until oxygen returns to normal levels. At that time, they simply "shrugged" one by one and continued to move as if nothing had happened. It is worth noting that this "plant life" process does not cause any long-term damage to the mouse's body.

Researchers believe that the East African mole used this method to survive in crowded underground caves, maybe even up to 100 individuals sleeping together to stay warm.

To find out, the researchers released East African mole rats in areas with very low oxygen levels and found that the amount of fructose increased in their blood. Other mammals can metabolize fructose in their gut, but for East African mole rats, fructose is also pumped into brain cells.

When fructose is supplied directly to the mole's brain and heart, these organs can use fructose to produce energy without oxygen. If this happens in other mice, their hearts and brains will die. In particular, the heart of fructose-based mole rats can function normally as when using glucose.

This study is not only important because it has revealed the true biological nature of this strange creature, but also raises questions about whether human cells can survive without it. oxygen?

" Patients with infarction or stroke will suffer long-term injuries due to lack of oxygen for a few minutes, " said Gary Lewin from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine of the Helmholtz Association. " In theory, there is little change needed to apply this unusual metabolic method ."

If human cells can reorder metabolism in this way, then vital organs can be saved when a stroke or heart attack occurs.

The East African mole rat has also recently revealed secrets about how they are not so much affected by pain, which makes scientists think they can help them develop less painful treatments. more in people.