Dysfunction Drugs May Help Prevent Neurodegenerative Disease

Oct, 2020 - By SMI

According to previous preclinical and observational studies, PDE5 may help improve cognitive function in people suffering from neurodegeneration.

According to estimates, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease will double every 2 decades. Early detection of Alzheimer's makes it easier to plan for adequate care and initiate medical intervention as early as possible to reduce symptoms. Now, the research team from the University of Cambridge and Harvard Medical School has shown that how drugs developed to treat erectile dysfunction may improve the ability of the brain to overcome toxicity, it clears toxic proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The research was published in the PNAS journal.

Sildenafil (also known as Viagra), avanafil (Stendra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra) are oral drugs that reverse erectile dysfunction by increasing the effects of nitric oxide, a natural chemical that relaxes muscles in the penis. Viagra was firstly discovered in 1980, while researchers/scientists were investigating new treatments for chest pain. Viagra works by inhibiting the activity of an enzyme named PDE5. According to previous preclinical and observational studies, PDE5 may help improve cognitive function in people suffering from neurodegeneration. Moreover, a review of the current research that was published in early 2020 has shown that there is sufficient evidence to permit clinical trial testing Viagra in people suffering from Alzheimer's.

The current research was conducted to determine how PDE5 may inhibit cognitive decline. The researchers focused on how these medications influence the natural ability of the body to destroy toxic proteins, misfolded, or damaged in the brain. When the human body detects unnecessary or damaged proteins, it incorporates a garbage disposal mechanism that contains a protein complex named proteasome, which clears and destroys those molecules. Proteasomes can remove toxins as they are associated with a molecule named ubiquitin. Prior studies have shown that dysfunction in the ubiquitin-proteasome mechanism may reduce neurodegenerative disease. Viagra improves proteasome activity and helps the body to clear out and destroy toxic proteins more effectively.