Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that the popular impotence drug Viagra prevents damage to the heart from a potent chemotherapeutic agent frequently used in the treatment of breast cancer, leukemia and sarcomas. In the April 5 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers demonstrated for the first time that administration of clinically relevant doses of Viagra, generically known as sildenafil citrate, one-hour prior to the administration of the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) prevented heart damage at the cellular level. The research also showed that the impotence drug also prevented dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure in a chronic mouse model. Furthermore, researchers observed a reduction of DOX-induced cell death, an improvement of heart function, and a reduction of electrophysiological abnormalities associated with heart sickness.
