[Endogenous hypometabolic-hypothermic factors and their possible application to life in the cold]

Hibernation is a natural model of Tolerance of hypometabolism, hypothermia, hypoxia, bradycardia, and longterm hypophagia. Here, we review recent advances in the isolation and identification of some natural endogenous regulators from hibernating and cold-adapted animals: proteins, peptides, and nonpeptide substances. We also discuss the employment of molecular, biochemical, and physiological bases of natural hypobiosis in ecology, cryomedicine, and the cryopreservation of genetic material from rare and endangered species. We suppose that our approaches can be extensively used (i) in medicine, when there is a need to slow down or suspend life processes for a short time; (ii) for the adaptation of humans to cold; and (iii) in long-term space flights.