Hibernating bears may hold key to preventing blood clots: study

The secret to reducing dangerous blood clots in humans may come from an unlikely source: hibernating bears.

In a new study published in Science, researchers looked at how the large mammal can lie dormant for extended periods without developing blood clots.

Scientists found when bears hibernate, their heat shock protein 47 — which aids in the cell’s recovery from stress — is lowered and this prevents blood clots from forming as they slumber.

Immobility — such as sitting down on a long-haul flight — can increase the risk of developing blood clots. They can happen anywhere in the body but deep vein thrombosis usually starts in the lower leg or thigh. If it travels to the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs or other limbs, it can trigger a heart attack and stroke, damage the body’s organs or even cause death.

To collect the data, researchers took blood samples from 13 free-ranging brown bears with an average age of 2½ years between February and March 2019 and 2022 in central Sweden.

They took blood samples again during their “active months” over the summer between June 2019 and 2022.

The study found that “the interaction between the blood platelets and inflammatory cells of the immune system is slowed down” in hibernating bears, cardiologist and researcher Dr. Tobias Petzold said in a press release.

“That explains the absence of venous thrombosis,” he continued. “HSP47 alone is able to activate the inflammatory cells.”

The study noted that if HSP47 could be blocked in immobile people it could reduce the risk of blood clots. The hope is the research paves the way for a drug that would prevent them, UPI reported.

“We would like to further study the mechanism by which HSP47 works in preventing (blood clots) in more detail,” said Petzold.

Blood-thinning medications are commonly used to prevent blood clots from forming or getting bigger.