KINGSTON, Ontario, Aug 28, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Canadian scientists say
they've found shaping one enzyme might lead to using the erectile dysfunction
drug Viagra to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
"As scientists, we're excited about this discovery because it's a fundamentally
new approach to regulating what enzymes do in cells," said Queens University
Professor Donald Maurice, who led the study. "The fact that it also offers a
potentially novel use of a drug already widely in use for other applications is
an unexpected bonus."
The enzyme, PDE5, is known to regulate the activity of platelets: small blood
cells needed for normal blood clotting. Problems can arise when people have
stents permanently implanted in their arteries to maintain blood flow. Their
platelets sometimes bind to the stent and, if enough platelets accumulate to
form a blockage, this may cause a heart attack or stroke.
Viagra has been shown to inhibit PDE5, said Lindsay Wilson, graduate student and
first author of the study. "The idea is to use a PDE5 inhibitor such as Viagra
to selectively inhibit platelet function," Wilson added.
The study appears in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
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