Viagra may be helpful in treating Alzheimer's
Researchers in the United States say that the effects of Viagra on the brain suggest that the drug may be effective in treating Alzheimer's.
Experiments on brain cells have shown that the drug targets certain proteins that begin to accumulate as a result of dementia.
The team of researchers analyzed data from 7 million people and found that men who used the drug had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's.
An article published in the journal Nature Aging says more research is needed.
Experts say this kind of work is very encouraging because the process of using an existing drug for other purposes can be faster, simpler, and cheaper than developing a new drug.
Viagra, also known as sildenafil, was developed to treat heart disease because its main function is to soften and enlarge the arteries and ensure blood supply to the organs.
Doctors later discovered that the drug had similar effects on the arteries of the penis, and it was developed for the successful treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Now experts believe that there may be other uses for this drug. Sildenafil is already in use in men and women in a condition of the lungs called pulmonary hypertension.
Scientists have recently been trying to determine if Viagra could be useful in vascular dementia or cerebral palsy. After Alzheimer's dementia, most patients suffer from vascular dementia, which occurs when brain cells are damaged by a decrease in blood flow.
Researchers now believe that this drug may also be useful for Alzheimer's.
The team of researchers discovered that:
During experiments on human cells inside the laboratory, large doses of the drug increased the growth of brain cells and reduced the accumulation of proteins.
People who were taking sildenafil had a lower risk of Alzheimer's than those who were not taking the drug. The findings come after six years of data analysis of more than 7.23 million people.
"This discovery is encouraging, but more research is needed in this area," said Faixian Cheng, head of the research team. We are now planning to conduct further trials to confirm the practical benefits of sildenafil in Alzheimer's patients."
Experts say that although the results so far are encouraging, this does not mean that the drug should be prescribed to Alzheimer's patients without further research.
Published By: Anwar Amr | 92K+ Readers