Viagra can help in foetal development in humans
By IANSThursday, February 4, 2010
WASHINGTON - Viagra, the antidote for erectile dysfunction (ED), enhances blood flow in pregnant ewes (female sheep), helping send vital amino acids and other nutrients needed in foetal development, according to new research.
The study’s results will not only assist with solving foetal development problems in other livestock, but possibly in humans too, said Guoyao Wu, AgriLife Research animal nutritionist at Texas A&M University.
“Because five percent to 10 percent of infants are born as low birth-weight babies worldwide, and because foetal-growth retardation is also a significant problem in livestock species, our findings have important implications for both human health and animal agriculture,” Wu said.
“The results of our study indicate that augmenting systemic blood flow may be a novel and effective strategy to prevent foetal growth retardation in humans and livestock species without affecting maternal health.”
The study originated in 2003 after a chat between Wu and fellow AgriLife Research scientist Tom Spencer when they were working with pregnant ewes.
“We made a joke that many men are now using Viagra and that women may also have a need for it,” Wu said. “Interestingly, one week later, we saw that Pfizer Inc. announced an international request for research proposals on Viagra.”
The team submitted a proposal to Pfizer, using pregnant sheep as an animal model for evaluating Viagra’s potential role in enhancing foetal growth. The research team would also evaluate both adequate or inadequate maternal intakes of nutrients from the diet, Wu said. Pfizer selected the proposal and work began.
“Viagra acts like nitric oxide to relax smooth muscle cells of blood vessels and, in turn, allow for increased uterine blood flow,” Wu said. The drug is a synthetic medicine that can be used to stimulate blood flow in humans and animals.
About 60 ewes were mated to rams at the Texas A&M University Sheep Centre. Pregnant females were randomly selected and treated with or without sildenafil citrate, said a Texas release.
Results of the study indicated long-term use of Viagra enhanced foetal weight in both “adequately fed and nutrient-restricted female sheep.”
The findings appeared in a recent edition of The Journal of Nutrition.
