A breath of not-so-fresh air
Scientists have come up with an unorthodox way of saving oxygen-starved mammals: pumping oxygen into their anus. Takanori Takebe, of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, started seeking ways for humans to receive oxygen other than mechanical ventilation after watching his father struggle with lung disease. Taking inspiration from fish that use gills underwater but take gulps of air above the surface, Takebe sought to establish whether a mammal’s intestines could absorb oxygen. He and his colleagues found that oxygen-deprived
mice survived longer when oxygen gas was pumped into their anus, but the effect was limited. They then added oxygen to a liquid compound that can absorb large amounts of gas. When they squirted this mixture into the rectums of oxygendeprived mice and pigs, the animals’ oxygen levels quickly recovered. The mice started walking; the pigs’ pale skin regained its pinkish hue. Takebe wasn’t expecting such a dramatic effect. “They are completely recovering from very, very severe hypoxia,” he tells The New York Times. “That was really astonishing to me.” He is hoping to begin clinical trials on humans as early as next year.