Posted on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:47:04 by Sherice

Viagra is now being used to help cure enlargements of the heart that can cause high blood pressure. This was the result of various animal studies conducted using Viagra.
There are further plans to conduct a trial on a number of candidates to see if similar results of Viagra (the pill widely known to treat impotency), will occur.

Sildenafil Citrate more famously known as Viagra when tested on high blood stressed mice, reversed heart enlargement. This was claimed by Dr. David Kass’ group of researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Kass stated that a person who has a heart that is larger than a normal heart is in a serious condition called hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is the most common trait of heart failure which can be very fatal.

Kass also claimed that there were results that proposed therapies that are possible in the near future like Viagra which is already considered safe and very effective for other medical ailments such as sexual dysfunction. Dr. Kass’ report on his research was published in the online magazine of Nature Medicine. This news did not surprise Dr. William B. White who is the hypertension division head at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Dr. White said that Viagra was originally created for the purpose of treating heart disease ailments and high blood pressure levels originally.

Effectiveness of the drug doesn’t last long

It was found out, however, that the effectiveness of the Viagra pill lasts a short time. Dr. White said that the Viagra needed to act longer for it to be of any use in curing heart enlargements.

As with what Dr. White said, Dr. Richard Devereux who works at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City also confirmed that Viagra is just a little too short in acting as a cure for the enlargement of the heart in human patients. Dr. Devereux, however, stated that the Viagra as an option for treatment still produced a very important clue that must be pursued.

The results of the Viagra tests on mice might encourage a search for Viagra related compounds that will last longer to serve as a benefit to heart ailments. Dr. Devereux was not part of the research team of Dr. Kass. Dr. Kass claimed that Viagra blocked the process of PDE5A which is an enzyme. This blockage aids in the breaking down of the cyclic GMP molecule. The cGMP molecule in turn aids in the resistance of the heart in stress and enlargement.

In a certain experiment which was cited by Nature Medicine magazine, the team of Hopkins successfully cured the stress of heart pressure in certain mice. They did this by limiting the artery of the flow of blood from the heart.

In an entirely different experiment, mice that already had enlargement of the heart were given Viagra in a span of two weeks. The researchers said that the muscle growth within the heart of the mice almost nearly disappeared while in the other animals that were not administered with Viagra continued to have enlarged hearts. After the treatment of the mice, the result showed that the heart functions improved.

Permanent Link | Comment | 390 hit(s) | Tags viagra sildenafil citrate drugs pills Sildenafil