You may be about to breathe through your bum, and one day it could save your life

Japanese scientists have discovered that some mammals can breathe through their anuses, opening a back door for a new type of treatment for patients with respiratory failure

For many animals, respiration involves breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide via lungs or gills. However, there are several exceptions.

.oaches catfish and orb Yeaving spiders can breathe

through their guts when the supply of oxygen in their environment gets scarce.

Now, researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have shown that oxygen can be delivered into the bloodstreams of mice, rats and pigs via their anuses. The technique, known as enteral ventilation, or EVA, could one day be used to help human patients with severe respiratory conditions.

“The rectum has a mesh of fine blood vessels Lust

beneath the surface of its lining, which means that drugs administered through the anus are readily

absorbed into the bloodstream q said first author 4yo

Okabe. “This made us wonder whether oxygen could also be delivered into the bloodstream in the same way. We used experimental models of respiratory failure in mice, pigs and rats to try out two methods: delivering oxygen into the rectum in gas form and

infusing an oZygen rich liSuid via the same route q The researchers deprived the animals of oxygen and then administered oxygen enemas, either in gas form

or via perƃuorocarbons 2(%s 2(%s are liSuids that

can absorb large amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide and are often used as a blood substitute or to assist the ventilation of premature babies.

In both cases, oxygen in the animals’ blood increased, enabling them to survive for longer periods. The team also found elevated oxygenation in the cells.

“Patients in respiratory distress can have their oxygen supply supported by this method to reduce the negative effects of oxygen deprivation while the underlying

condition is being treated q said co author 2rof Takanori

Takebe. “Enteral ventilation showed great promise in

our asphyZia like eZperimental model The neZt steps

will be to test safety of the EVA approach with more profound mechanistic understanding by which it works; and to establish effectiveness in humans in a clinical setting.”

“Drugs administered through the anus are readily absorbed into the bloodstream”