RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Researchers at the University of California in the United States have found in a new study that Viagra can be useful for purposes other than erectile dysfunction: the drug could be used in bone marrow transplants.
The experiment, which could potentially be groundbreaking, was conducted in rodents.
The scientists administered Sildenafil Citrate, an active ingredient of Viagra, to the animals, and a dose of Plerixafor medically used to direct stem cells from the blood to the bone marrow.
The organ is in charge of producing blood cells and, in people suffering from leukemia and lymphoma, it does not work as it should.
And the experiment worked – the availability of stem cells with the drug combination was 7.5 percent higher, twice as much as with Plerixafor alone.
The research investigators believe that if these results are followed up by studies using humans, a new alternative to bone marrow transplants is possible, with the advantage of it being painless and safe.
“Doctors will be able to provide a unique treatment for conditions that currently have to be treated throughout a patient’s lifetime,” said scientist Camila Forsberg, who participated in the study.