An analysis of health insurance data and laboratory studies of the genetic and neurological effects of sildenafil suggest that the active ingredient not only promotes blood flow to the penis, but also reduces the neurodegeneration responsible for dementia and thus the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease by 54 percent.
Sildenafil inhibits an enzyme called phosphodiesterase, which causes changes in tau proteins in nerve cells, causing them to aggregate into the typical plaques. In cell cultures with nerve cells from Alzheimer’s patients, fewer clumped tau proteins actually formed after five days of sildenafil treatment. Changes in the activity of genes related to inflammation and disorders of nerve function were also observed in the cells.
“After computationally integrating this large amount of data, it seems worthwhile to see the effects of sildenafil on human neurons and real-world patient outcomes,” said Cleveland Clinic bioinformatician Feixiong Cheng, one of the study authors in the journal “ Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Since sildenafil is already approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, the active ingredient could be available quickly once its safety and effectiveness in Alzheimer’s disease have been proven. This is important given the aging population, with dementia estimated to increase from around 80 million cases worldwide in 2030 to nearly 140 million by mid-century.
Source: DOI 10.3233/JAD-231391