Besides being used to treat erectile dysfunction, Viagra may
actually protect the hearts of people suffering from Duchenne muscular
dystrophy, which is often a precursor to heart failure, a new Canadian study reveals.
DMD is one of the most prevalent types of muscular dystrophy
and is characterized by rapid progression of muscle degeneration that occurs
early in life. The disease is caused by abnormal levels of dystrophin protein
and affects mainly males—an estimated 1 in 3500 boys worldwide.
The disease affects both skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle,
lead author of the study Christine Des Rosiers, a professor of cardiology in
the department of nutrition at the
Dr. Rosiers in collaboration with Dr. Basil Petrof of the
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and Dr. Christian
Deschepper of the Institute de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal conducted a lab
analysis on mice with a version of the disease. The experiment found that
giving the mice sildenafil, the ingredient in drug maker Pfizer Inc’s Viagra helped
keep their hearts working well.
“If you don’t give the sildenafil, the heart of these mice
doesn’t function as well as normal mice, and they are more susceptible to
stress-induced cell death,” said Des Rosiers, as quoted by Reuters. She also
added that future human clinical trials are needed before doctors prescribe it
for heart trouble in patients with DMD.
In fact, the researchers stressed the importance and need to develop more effective treatment strategies for patients affected with this type of muscular dystrophy.
The findings of the analysis were published in the May 13 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.