People stuck sitting in tight airplane seats for an entire long-haul flight are at risk of dangerous DVTs. But somehow immobile, hibernating bears are not. Now scientists know why.
Recently, Thienel et al (Science, 2023) report an analysis of the thrombo-inflammatory machinery in hibernating brown bears (Ursus arctos), which rarely suffer from DVT despite 6 months of immobilisation during hibernation.
They found that platelets from hibernating bears exhibit an antithrombotic signature characterised by decreased expression of heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) and overall reduced biomarkers of thrombo-inflammation compared with those of active brown bears.
And low levels of the protein are not just found bears, the team writes. Mice, pigs and humans with a largely sedentary lifestyle because of long-term mobility problems have the same protection; suggesting that this could be a therapeutic target to reduce DVT in immobilised patients.
