A new American study reveals that a small daily dose of Viagra could significantly reduce the risk of polyps forming in the intestines, responsible for colorectal cancer.
Known to treat erectile dysfunction, Viagra is also said to be useful in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer.
This is what researchers from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, in the USA. According to them, a small daily dose of the famous blue pill would reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer, 2e most common cancer in men
Third leading cause of cancer death in the United States according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), colorectal cancer (of the colon and rectum) represents nearly 12% of all cancer deaths in France, especially among the most 65 years old. It is the third most common cancer in men, after prostate and lung cancer, and the second most common in women after breast cancer.
A significant risk factor for the development of the disease is a mutation in a gene called adenomatous polyposis (APC), a tumor suppressor. People with an APC genetic mutation are at risk of developing hundreds of colorectal polyps, which can eventually lead to cancer.
Conducted by Dr. Darren D. Browning, a cancer researcher at the Georgia Cancer Center and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Augusta University in Georgia, this new study claims that a small daily dose of Viagra could reduce the number half colorectal tumors.
An experiment conducted on mice
During the study, researchers tested Viagra on mice that were genetically engineered to develop hundreds of polyps, which in humans almost always lead to colorectal cancer.
By adding sildenafil to the water of the mice, the researchers found that the drug increased the levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), an intracellular calcium regulator that contributes to the proper physiological functioning of cells.
In their study, Dr. Browning and colleagues show that cGMP regulates homeostasis of the intestinal epithelium, which is the layer of cells located inside the intestine. This forms a physical barrier against foreign substances and bacteria.
Researchers also studied the impact of sildenafil on cGMP. This is because the drug was likely to inhibit phosphodiesterase-5, an enzyme found naturally in colon cells and known to also increase cGMP levels.
Polyp formation reduced by 50%
The study found that Viagra increased levels of cGMP which, in turn, suppressed some cells that were proliferating in excess in the intestine. Viagra has also helped stimulate the natural process of death and elimination of abnormal cells. However, it is these “proliferating cells” which are “the most subject to mutations causing cancer”, explains Dr. Browning.
“Giving a small amount of Viagra can halve the amount of tumors in these animals,” he says. Indeed, he and his team found that small daily doses of Viagra reduced polyp formation by 50% in mice.
Given in such small doses, Viagra is unlikely to cause side effects, says Dr Browning who now wants to undertake clinical trials in humans with a focus on people at high risk for colorectal cancer.
A small, daily dose of Viagra may reduce colorectal cancer risk – (Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University) A small, daily dose of Viagra significantly reduces colorectal cancer risk in an animal model that is genetically predetermined to hav … https://t.co/Ssl9WYgD4K
– Cancer News Network (@cancer_network) March 19, 2018
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