-         University of Alberta –

Viagra can significantly increase the heart performance, namely its right ventricle, say the researchers from the University of Alberta, Canada. According to the new finding, Viagra not only helps people solve their sexual problems, but it can also save lives of those with the specific heart disorders. The scientists say that Viagra, which is known all over the world as the anti-impotence medication, can be of great help in treating patients with a failing right ventricle of the heart, a serious life-threatening condition for which there is no treatment nowadays.

After its official approval in 1998 as the first oral treatment of erectile dysfunction, sildenafil, which is the active ingredient of Viagra, has been shown to have certain benefits in treating some other medical conditions. For example, in 2002 the researchers from the same University (University of Alberta) published a scientific work, showing the ability of Viagra treat pulmonary hypertension. Their suggestion was later proved by other clinical trials and sildenafil was later approved under the brand name Revatio as the treatment option against pulmonary hypertension.

Recently the group of researchers found that Viagra can boost the performance of right ventricle of the heart. Perhaps, this finding will also give a start to approving one more indication of sildenafil, besides erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension.

The scientists explain that the new potential benefit of Viagra is based on the ability of medication to suppress or inhibit the phosphodiesterase type 5 enzymes. Those chemicals constrict arteries in two places of the human organism – the lung and the penis. In healthy people, PDE-5 enzymes work as the regulatory agents, preventing excessively low blood pressure in lungs or excessive engorgement in penis. But their over-activity causes certain health problems, such as erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension.

In case of pulmonary hypertension, the constriction of blood vessels in lungs results in the additional strain on the right ventricle of the heart. Sildenafil was shown to relax arteries and thus improve blood flow and reduce excessive pressure in lungs.

Furthermore the scientists found out that the large amounts of PDE-5 enzymes were also present in the right ventricle of human heart, when it was thickened (in healthy hearts there were no PDE-5 enzymes found). In this case, Viagra not only relaxed the blood vessels in the lungs, but also improved the performance of the right ventricle. This was named as one more significant advantage of using Viagra in treating people with the pulmonary hypertension and the failing right ventricle of the heart.

It is interesting to note that the mentioned study also showed that Viagra affects the human heart selectively. The authors of the research underlined that Viagra is the first drug that can improve right ventricle performance, without affecting the left ventricle of the heart. It is especially important for doctors because in patients with pulmonary hypertension, the left ventricle is mostly in normal condition, while the right ventricle is diseased and requires treatment. According to the results of the research, sildenafil may become the first option for treating a failing right ventricle of the human heart.

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External resources
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?id=8591
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070711001556.htm

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