Scientists have discovered a new research on life-affirming use for the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.
Viagra (or sildenafil) might be able to significantly reduce a person's
risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers at Augusta University saw
that when introduced in small
daily doses to the water of lab mice, the number of tumors in the
animals dropped by 50%.
"Giving a baby dose of Viagra can reduce the amount of tumors in these
animals by half," the study's co-author Darren Browning told the
university newspaper, Jagwire News.
The results have only been found in mice so far but the next step for
the research team is to get the trial approved for human tests with
people who are considered high risk for colorectal cancer, like those
with a family history. The disease is the third most common cancer in
the world, according to the study, and is diagnosed more than one million times each year with about 50,000 of them ending in death.
But the research team is hoping to reduce these numbers. They saw in
their trial that the mice were helped by a reduction of polyps — the
abnormal clumping of cells that build on the inside lining of the
intestines and have a tendency to become tumors. A daily low-dose of
Viagra halved these formations in the critters. What's also promising is
the drug's virtual lack of negative side effects, making it both safe
and convenient, especially in small amounts.
Viagra's proving effective in helping the animals also by promoting the
production of a chemical called cyclic GMP, which promotes the health
of the intestinal lining.
"When we give Viagra, we shrink the whole proliferating compartment," Browning said. "Proliferating cells are more subject to mutations that cause cancer."
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