メディエイゴ

A team of researchers(1) has recently shown that the administration(2) of sildenafil(3) protects the heart in mice(4) with Duchenne muscular dystrophy(5). This study was led by Dr. Christine Des Rosiers of the Montreal Heart Institute(6) and the Université de Montréal, in collaboration with(7) Dr. Basil Petrof of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Dr. Christian Deschepper of the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal. The study findings are published today in the online edition(8) of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(9).

“This achievement(10) was a true team initiative(11) and is the culmination(12) of sustained(13) efforts on the part of Dr. Maya Khairallah, who was a doctoral student(14) at the time, and all of the researchers from participating(15) centres,” says Dr. Des Rosiers. “I’m pleased that my work has sparked interest in(16) an eventual(17) application(18) for humans,” says Dr. Khairallah. The study received financial support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec, the Heart and Stroke(19) Foundation(20) of Canada, the Muscular Dystrophy Association(21) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute(22) in the U.S.

--Improved cardiac function(23) and reduced cell death(24)--

The researchers explain that the choice of sildenafil was based on their previous studies indicating that the hearts of dystrophic(25) mice do not function as effectively(26) and are more susceptible to(27) stress-induced(28) cell death. These studies suggested that this may be due to a decrease in the formation(29) of a molecule(30) named cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate(31)).