Viagra can help to rapidly and efficiently mobilise blood stem cells from the bone marrow, according to a new study in mice.
Researchers at the University of California Santa Cruz, USA studied the drug in combination with plerixafor. They found that the outcome is almost as effective as the current standard protocol for haematopoietic stem cell mobilisation, the growth factor granulocyte colony‑stimulating factor (GCSF).
Senior author Camilla Forsberg said that because both Viagra and plerixafor are FDA approved, the combination could rapidly progress to human clinical trials.
The current standard drug regimen for coaxing stem cells from the marrow to the bloodstream requires daily injections of the GCSF for several days before the stem cells can be collected.
The regimen is not always successful, and often causes bone pain and other side effects. It also cannot be tolerated by many patients who might otherwise benefit from a bone marrow transplant, the researchers say.
The new study, published last week in the journal Stem Cell Reports, demonstrates that a single oral dose of Viagra followed two hours later by a single injection of plerixafor is an effective alternative.
They found that Viagra alone was not effective, while mice treated with plerixafor alone showed a nearly three-fold increase in hematopoietic cells compared to control mice.
Mice treated with a single oral dose of Viagra combined with an injection of plerixafor had approximately 2,500 hematopoietic stem cells in the bloodstream within two hours – a 7.5-fold increase compared to control mice receiving no mobilisation drugs.
The team found that three days of oral Viagra combined with plerixafor was slightly more effective, resulting in approximately 2,800 hematopoietic stem cells – an 8.4-fold increase compared to control mice.
Although this combination therapy may not completely replace GCSF, it could be more effective or suitable for patients who are very ill or elderly or individuals who have undergone chemotherapy or have sickle cell disease, say the authors.
Fosberg said: “Our approach could significantly increase the number of patients who could benefit from bone marrow transplant. Even though there are already ways to do this, the standard regimen doesn't work for everyone.
“If we can make bone marrow transplants a super safe procedure, there are a lot of other disorders for which it could be life-changing, especially for children. Doctors could provide a one-time treatment for conditions that currently have to be managed over a patient's lifetime.”
Source:
Smith-Berdan, S., Bercasio, A., Rajendiran, S., Forsberg, C. (2019) “Viagra Enables Efficient, Single-Day Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization”, Stem Cell Reports, doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2019.09.004
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