What is it about?
Strategic lowering of metabolism in humans may be beneficial in a multitude of situations, but it must be accomplished safely and with minimally invasive methods. This study is about using a light sedative and slight cooling of core body temperature to reduce metabolic rate in healthy volunteers for a period of six hours.
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Why is it important?
Animals such a bears and squirrels will lower their metabolic rate. This intentional, and allows them to survive during times when food is minimal (winters, droughts, etc.). The ability to employ a similar strategy in humans is useful to reduce consumables, oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide excretion. This is relevant for payload optimization or resource-restricted scenario such as long-duration spaceflight, or remote/austere environments (Arctic/Antarctic, disabled submarine, cave or mine rescue). To successfully use such a mechanism, it must be safe, easy to administer, minimally invasive, and require little-to-no monitoring. This study explored the subcutaneous infusion of dexmdetomidine and surface cooling to safely and effectively reduce metabolic rate in healthy volunteers.
Perspectives
This study was fascinating, because we were able to recreate a trait in humans, that is often seen in hibernating animals. When core body temperature is reduced in awake humans, or non-hibernating animals, metabolic rate will increase in an attempt to maintain homeostasis (this trait is known as cold-induced thermogenesis). When animals such as bears hibernate, they are able to suppress cold-induced thermogenesis. With the subcutaneous infusion of dexmedetomidine, we were able to suppress cold-induced thermogenesis in healthy volunteers for up to six hours.
Katharyn Flickinger
University of Pittsburgh
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Sustained metabolic reduction and hypothermia in humans, PLOS One, April 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321117.
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