Scientists have found a new use for the erectile dysfunction medication Viagra. New research shows that it may help treat Alzheimer's disease. Laboratory experiments suggest that Viagra targets some of the proteins that accumulated in the brain in this kind of dementia.
They published the findings of their study titled, "Endophenotype-Based in Silico Network Medicine Discovery Combined With Insurance Record Data Mining Identifies Sildenafil as a Candidate Drug for Alzheimer's Disease," in the journal Nature Aging.
Viagra Identified as Candidate Drug Against Alzheimer's Disease: Lab Experiments Showed 69% Reduced Risk
Viagra Originally Developed as Heart Drug
Viagra is a brand name that contains the drug sildenafil initially designed as a heart drug that relaxes or widens blood vessels to improve blood flow. But scientists noticed that it has a similar effect elsewhere in the body.
Medical News Today reported that the drug is approved to treat erectile dysfunction in males 18 years old and older. Viagra targets the protein phosphodiesterase-5, which increases blood flow to help men keep an erection as it increases blood flow to the penis. But it only works when the man is sexually aroused.
Clinical studies have shown that men who used the drug had an improved ability to have and keep erections. Between 43% and 83% of men had improved erections compared to the 10% and 24% of men who took a placebo or no drug at all.
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Viagra May Also Treat Alzheimer's Disease
According to Biospace, scientists have been studying the effects of Viagra on the brain, whether it could also help people suffering from the second most common form of dementia called vascular dementia. They started screening 1,600 FDA-approved drugs used to treat other diseases and focused on targeting beta-amyloid and tau proteins that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
Now, researchers believe that it may also help treat Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Indiana found that erectile dysfunction medication is associated with a 69% lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease. The team noted that the study does not say specifically that the drug decreases the risk of Alzheimer's disease as there is no causal link between the two.
The lab results showed that high doses of Viagra increased brain cell growth and reduced protein accumulation in the brain. BBC News reported that people who took sildenafil were less likely to develop Alzheimer's compared to those not taking the drug based on a six-year study that involved more than 7.2 million adults.
Study lead author Dr. Feixiong Cheng said their findings, although encouraging, does not establish a causal relationship. Instead, it shows an association between sildenafil use and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. They are now planning to conduct a mechanistic trial and a randomized clinical trial to test the causality and confirm the drug's benefits to the brain.
The team noted that more research is needed to know whether it can indeed lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease or any type of dementia.
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