Breaking through the blood-brain tumor barrier
A study published in Brain Research showed that when rats were given Levitra and Viagra, the amount of chemotherapy that reached brain tumors was increased.
Levitra and Viagra are types of ED drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors, which work by stopping biochemical interactions in the body that decrease blood flow to the penis. In the case of the rat study, the ED drugs increased the drug transport and opened the blood-brain tumor barrier, which otherwise impedes delivery of the chemo to the tumor. Best of all, the Levitra and Viagra did so without affecting normal brain tissue.
Comparing results
In this study, the researchers used the chemotherapy drug Adriamycin because it can’t cross the blood-brain tumor barrier. Although both Levitra and Viagra helped the chemo drug reach the brain tumors, the Levitra was found to be more effective. With the combination of Levitra and Adriamycin, the tumors decreased in size and there was a longer survival for the rats. In terms of survival, the researchers reported the following:
- Rats treated with only saline (the control group) survived 32 days, on average.
- Rats treated with only Levitra survived 35 days, on average.
- Rats treated with only Adriamycin survived 42 days, on average.
- Rats treated with both Levitra and Adriamycin survived 53 days, on average.
Although the rats were given doses of Viagra and Levitra that were comparable to the dose given to men for erectile dysfunction, no side effects were detected.
More research needs to be done, including studies using humans (both men and women) to ensure the effectiveness doesn’t just apply to animals. And while it might seem far-fetched that using Levitra and Viagra to increase chemo delivery in rats can translate to humans with brain tumors, it’s actually not much of a stretch because of the similar physiology of rats and humans.
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