Viagra May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, Study Finds
A recent study conducted by scientists at the Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic has found that the active ingredient in Viagra, Sildenafil, may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Sildenafil is typically used to treat impotence and pulmonary hypertension by inhibiting the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) and widening blood vessels. However, the study found that the enzyme inhibition has additional effects on fat cells and heart muscles. The researchers developed a molecular genetic model to investigate the potential of 1,600 approved drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease. They discovered that Sildenafil was the most promising candidate for reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers analyzed health data from seven million Americans to compare the Alzheimer’s risk of those who had been prescribed Sildenafil with those who had not. They found that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by 69% in those who had taken Sildenafil. The researchers also conducted experiments on mice and Alzheimer’s patients’ cell cultures, which confirmed that Sildenafil inhibits the activity of two proteins in the brain that are involved in the formation of misshapen Tau proteins. The study suggests that Sildenafil may be a potential candidate for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
However, the researchers emphasized that a systematic clinical study is still required to prove a clear causal relationship between Sildenafil and Alzheimer’s disease. They plan to conduct a phase-II study with Alzheimer’s patients to confirm the causal relationship and clinical efficacy of Sildenafil. The study’s findings provide hope for the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, which affects millions of people worldwide.
