March 2, 2007
- Virginia Commonwealth University –

Scientists from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) compared popular erectile dysfunction drugs, Viagra and Levitra, with nitroglycerin and came to a conclusion that ED pills are more potent in protecting the heart from damage before and after acute heart attack in comparison to nitroglycerin.

Nitroglycerin is a real veteran pill. First investigated in 1846 and approved by FDA in 1938, it has always been among the first line treatments for patients with heart pain or angina. Nitroglycerin belongs to a group of medications called nitrates. They work by dilating the blood vessels in the human body, thus reducing the load to a heart (it is easier for the heart muscle to pump blood through widened arteries and veins than through narrowed ones).

ED pills, which also work by dilating the blood vessels, drew the attention of VCU scientists, who decided to investigate their potential role in heart protection.

Dilation or widening of the blood vessels is vitally important for people after heart attack. The point is that during heart attack some of the arteries supplying heart muscle with oxygen get blocked, which results in a serious damage of the heart (muscle tissues die without enough oxygen and cannot pump the blood throughout the whole body). That is why the treatment after heart attack is aimed mainly at unblocking the arteries and restoring the blood circulation.

Rakesh C. Kukreja, Ph.D. with other scientists at VCU developed an animal model experiment to compare nitroglycerin with two erectile dysfunction drugs – Viagra (sildenafil) and Levitra (vardenafil), and to determine the effectiveness of each for heart protection after a heart attack.

At the end of the study, the team reported that administering Viagra or Levitra after severe heart attack significantly reduced the damage it caused, while nitroglycerine failed to reduce the damage of the heart muscle after a heart attack.

It is interesting to note that the same group of scientists showed previously that ED drugs, given prior to heart attack, prevented heart damage and reduced the size of myocardial infarction. The current finding proved that ED drugs are beneficial for heart not only when taken before, but even after a severe heart attack.

At the same time, people, who currently receive nitrates medication to prevent heart attack or treat angina, should not take ED drugs along with nitrates. The simultaneous use of nitrates and ED pills may lead to a sudden and significant drop of blood pressure. That is why these medications should never be mixed together.

Anyway, the importance of the recent finding is promising: the heart protective effects, provided by erectile dysfunction drugs, may be useful for reducing the severity of the heart attack consequences. After all, who knows – maybe ED drugs are those magic bullets, which can target not only erectile dysfunction, but some of the heart problems as well?

Nick

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