Viagra To Prevent The Transmission Of Malaria Parasites?
Aside from the fact that in some cases you could even combine the benefit to the delightful, it is not the first time that you find that Viagra may have effects that have nothing to do with what’s going on in a bedroom. For example, physicians now use it for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and mountain malady.
Malaria kills approximately 1.2 million people around the world every year – although major progress has been made in preventing the disease, it is still the focus of research in many areas. A new method is now to try to detect whether Viagra, the known potency, can be a useful drug in the fight against this tropical disease.
A new use for Viagra reported by My Canadian Pharmacy Rx
Malaria, caused by mosquitoes transmitting Plasmodium falciparum, makes more than 584,000 deaths per year and therefore fighting this disease is one of the world’s top priorities for human health. Now, according to the study ‘cAMP-Signaling Regulates Gametocyte-Infected Erythrocyte Deformability Required for Malaria Parasite Transmission’ published on Plos One, scientists may have found an unexpected ally to stop malaria: Viagra.
In fact, a French, British and Italian team, including Yolanda Corbett and Donatella Taramelli of the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Milan, found that ‘By increasing the rigidity of the erythrocytes infected by the agent causing malaria, Viagra favors the elimination of blood circulation and can therefore reduce the transmission of the parasite from humans to mosquitoes. This surprising discovery could lead to treatment to reduce the spread of malaria within a population.’
The parasite that causes malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, has a complex developmental cycle that is partially completed in humans and partly in the anophobia mosquito. Scientists at the University of Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Medical School explain that ‘Malaria treatments target the asexual forms of this parasite that causes the symptoms, but not the sexual forms that are transmitted by humans to a mosquito when stings. Therefore, the eradication of the disease requires the development of new types of treatments against the parasitic sex form in order to stop transmitting and thus prevent the spread of the disease in the population.’
Before being released into the blood, the parasitic sexual forms develop in the human bone marrow content, and are therefore accessible to mosquitoes, which can ingest them when they bite. ‘But circulating erythrocytes – say scientists – whether they are gametocytes, infected or no, they are deformable, thus preventing their liquidation by the spleen, which constantly filters the blood and retains only rigid, old or abnormal erythrocytes. However, infected hematocrit gametocytes can easily pass through the spleen and persist for several days in the bloodstream.’
The researchers have therefore tried to stiffen the infected erythrocytes and have shown that ‘The deformability of infected hemoglobin gametocytes is regulated by a signaling pathway that involves cAMP (Cyclic adenosine monophosphate, ndr). When cAMP molecules accumulate, erythrocyte becomes more rigid. The cAMP is degraded by the phosphodiesterase enzyme, the action of which promotes erythrocyte deformability.’
Using an artificial spleen, scientists have been able to identify several pharmacological agents that inhibit phosphodiesterase and may therefore increase the rigidity of infected erythrocytes »and found that one of these agents is the citrate of sildenafil, better known as Viagra, then they have shown that ‘This agent, used in a standard dose, has the potential to increase the rigidity of the parasitic sexual form and thus promote the elimination of spleen-affected erythrocytes.’
The international team is convinced that ‘This discovery could help find new ways to stop the spread of malaria in a population. Modifying the active principle of Viagra to block its erectile effect, or to test similar agents without this adverse effect, could in fact involve treatment to prevent the transmission of the parasite from humans to mosquitoes.’
Viagra as a treatment for malaria
The active substance in Viagra, (All about sildenafil – a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor: mycanadianpharmacyrx.com/sildenafil-citrate) – is effective against malaria, according to a research study, and may also prove effective in humans when fighting malaria. A research team at the French Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm), the French Center for Scientific Research, Pasteur Institute, Cochin Institute and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine came to this conclusion in a study.
The tropical disease malaria is caused by plasmodium falciparum, transmitted by the anophile mucus. The mosquito carries on the unicellular parasite plasmodium. This mosquito species is also known as a fever or malaria mucus. Malaria is found mainly in countries in Africa, South America and Asia. However, the disease is no longer limited to the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The disease is also found more and more in Europe.
The protozoparasite plasmodium falciparum develops in a complicated cycle that occurs partly in anaphylaxis and partly in humans. They mature in the red blood cells (erythrocytes) in the bone marrow. If the patient is infected, the pathogen increases in the red blood cells, which are still in the bone marrow. Because the infected blood cells are deformed, the spleen can not prevent proliferation. It is usually the task of the spleen to filter out older, non-elastic or abnormal blood cells. However, if malaria-infected blood cells are eliminated, the disease can be attenuated.
Upon infection, they enter the bloodstream, where they can in turn be picked up by blood-sucking mosquitoes known as micro and macrogamethocytes (mature germ cells). In the bowel of the insect, a new bicycle starts moving by the nuclei melting together to form new sporozoites. These migrate to the mosquito’s glands and can be transferred from there to a new host. Thus, malaria is transmitted.
It usually takes one to four weeks before getting sick after you have been infected. However, the disease itself can occur only after years or months of infection.
If you get high fever for up to three months after returning home from a high-risk area, seek medical attention immediately.
Can PDE5 inhibitors such as Viagra help in malaria?
PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil inhibit the enzyme phosphodiesterase. Phosphodiesterases are responsible for the degradation of intracellular messengers such as cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), so-called secondary messengers. The messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate activated cAMP-dependent protein kinases that regulate metabolic functions in cells. Malaria Studies specifically investigated, inter alia, the mode of action of the messenger cAMP in infected malaria erythrocytes.
Normally, Viagra is used to treat impotence, and in this case this process enables an impotent man to achieve erection. However, it is not clear if this feature can be eliminated from the drug.
Researchers at the London School of Tropical Medicine, CNRS, Inserm and Cochin Institute have recently dedicated resources to the topic of malaria and Viagra – with amazing results.
The research group from France and England studied molecular mechanisms that are responsible for red blood cell deformability and allow the spread of malaria infection. An in vitro model that mimics spleen filtration could develop substances that interfere with the process that is important for the survival of the virus.
Thus, the formability of the infected cells is inhibited so that the spleen can filter away the affected blood cells. Surprisingly, it was observed that Viagra belongs to those substances that can interfere with the virus process. As already mentioned, phosphodiesterases are responsible for the degradation of cAMP. Among the drug substances, which the researchers examined in their tests, there were other PDE5 inhibitors of sildenafil. This drug inhibits phosphodiesterase in its action and increases the levels of cAMP. An increase of the cAMP level results in the infected erythrocytes not being deformed. They freeze and can be excreted by the spleen.
The effect of PDE5 inhibitors in malaria patients
If Viagra can really stop malaria infection is still not clear. In addition, it is still unclear whether it is possible to prevent the erectile effect of treatment with the potency.
This newly acquired knowledge offers completely new methods of malaria prevention. The next step is to try to change the Viagra substance sildenafil so that it does not have an erectile effect, but instead it can be used alone for the change in blood cells. It will take at least one year before the method can be tested on humans. Finally, consideration must be given to the effect of the drug on already infected patients.
This new perspective on Viagra and malaria is very promising, but firstly, previously approved drugs such as sildenafil in Viagra must undergo extensive selection tests for an extension of the medical application before it can be offered as new medication on the market.
Existing treatments of malaria
Traditionally, malaria is treated with certain drugs that attack pathogens and support the immune system in the defense. Medication, such as Doxycycline Malaria, Malarone or Paludrine / Avloclor, is used as standby therapy (acute self-treatment) or chemoprophylaxis.
By medicating before a trip in areas where there is a contagious disease, an infection of the disease can be prevented. You will continue to eat the medicine after you get home. However, if the preparation is only taken after the onset of sleep, it may be used to treat the symptoms. You should contact a doctor no later than three weeks before departure, as the tablets are taken for one to three weeks. On site you are protected by mosquito nets and fans or air conditioning. Protective clothing and mosquito repellent may also help. Malaria mosquito usually stings during the evening or at night.
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