Monday, October 4, 2010

Viagra Helps Treating Tumors

According to a recent study, the little blue pill Viagra has the capacity to deliver multiple functions. The blue pill when combined with the anti-cancer drug “Doxorubicin”, drastically improves the performance of the anti-cancer drug. It is believed that the combination of Viagra with Doxorubicin can help to shrink tumors at an increased pace. It is also understood from the study that the combination can also lessen the damage to the heart caused by the anti-cancer drug.

Doxorubicin is a strong antibiotic drug, and very different from Doxycycline, used as cancer chemotherapy. Like any other antibiotics doxorubicin is not free from the side effects. The drug is badly toxic in nature and can cause severe side effects such as nausea, vomiting and various oral infections. Worse still, prolonged use has been associated with irreversible cardiac damage. As per the new study, it is believed that Viagra when combined with the drug can provide the necessary protection to the heart against the drug’s toxicity.


The researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and VCU Massey Cancer Center discovered that combination of Viagra with Doxorubicin increased the cancer fighting effects of the anti-cancer drug in both live mice and in human prostate cancer cells. It had no effect by itself, but when combined with doxorubicin, it resulted in increased cell death, and a decrease in tumor growth. A number of in- vivo and in-vitro procedures were applied by the researchers to arrive at the conclusion.

The researchers also discovered that the combination of Viagra, with doxorubicin drastically enhances the generation of reactive oxygen species that can trigger cell death (or apoptosis), in prostate cancer cells. It is said that the impotency drug in its own may not be in a position to cure cancer, however, when combined with regular chemotherapy treatments like doxorubicin, it can prove to be of great help and support.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the little blue pill “Viagra”, due to its capacity of delivering multiple functions is no less than any “wonder drug”.

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