People sitting in tight airplane seats for long-haul flights are at risk of blood clots. However, this is not the case for hibernating bears that are immobile for months together. Read to know why.
Here’s why hibernating bears don’t suffer from blood clots
A new study published in Science, reveals bears settling in for winterlong slumbers have low levels of Heat shock protein 47, or HSP47. Hence, the platelets lacking the protein do not stick together easily, protecting hibernating bears from developing blood clots. Moreover, mice, pigs, and humans with sedentary lives have the same protection. HSP47 is found in cartilage and bone, i.e. cells making up connective tissues. HSP47 is also present in platelets and it attaches to collagen. Collagen is a protein that helps platelets stick together. The mechanism is helpful for the body to respond to a cut or injury.
“Potential drugs based on this study’s finding would aim to stop HSP47 from interacting with proteins or immune cells that spark clots,” stated Tobias Petzold. Petzold is a cardiologist at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München’s University Hospital. The study brought together researchers from a wide range of backgrounds. This helped in understanding how different animals adapt to stop blood clots due to immobility. Tinen Iles, a computational biologist who is not part of the study, from the University of Minnesota called the study a “huge step forward.”
More on the study
While hibernating bears spend several months in a dormant state with very low heart rates. However, the study reveals these hibernating animals do not die from conditions related to blood clots in veins. But it was previously unclear why immobile animals and some people are protected from this. “What’s more, people who experience long-term immobility, such as those with spinal cord injuries, do not develop more clots than people with typical mobility,” stated Petzold.
The team analyzed blood samples from 13 wild brown bears in both winter and summer. Platelet samples from hibernation were less likely to clump than summer samples or likely to clot more slowly. The seasonal difference is pinned to the presence of HSP47 in platelets. They performed experiments with lab mice to verify the matter. Mice lacking the protein had lower inflammation levels than those with it. Similar findings were observed in pigs and humans with long-term immobility from spinal cord injury.
