惊人发现! 每天小剂量伟哥可能减少结直肠癌风险!
Due to its distinctive effects on male physiology, Viagra is a drug that has changed the lives of countless men around the world over the last two decades. But an unexpected side effect of the little blue pill hints at even greater transformative potential that scientists never knew about before -- and one that could ultimately save thousands of lives. Researchers studying the effects of Viagra (aka sildenafil) on mice have discovered a small, daily dose of the medication in the animals' drinking water significantly reduces their risk of developing colorectal cancer. Giving a baby dose of Viagra can reduce the amount of tumours in these animals by half, says biochemist Darren D. Browning from Augusta University. We should bear in mind that so far this surprising result has only been demonstrated in the animal model, not in people as yet. But that's the exact next step the team wants to pursue, saying a clinical trial with patients considered at high risk of colorectal cancer -- or with a family history of the disease -- should be a research priority. If such a trial gets the green light and the effects can be replicated in humans, it could be a huge step forward in saving lives lost to cancer. In people, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, causing in excess of 1 million cases annually -- some 50,000 of which end in death in the US each year. There's a chance we might be able reduce these grim numbers with Viagra, the researchers think, thanks to the effect the drug appears to have on tissue that can become cancerous. In the study, the researchers demonstrated that the daily Viagra dose halved the formation of polyps in mouse tissue: abnormal clumps of cells that form on intestinal lining, which have a tendency to become tumours. Another drug the researchers experimented with, linaclotide -- used to treat constipation and irritable bowel syndrome -- was even more effective than Viagra. But it comes with a nasty drawback: diarrhoea, even in small doses, which makes it ultimately unsuitable for prolonged use, the researchers say. In contrast, Viagra at such low doses isn't known to produce side effects in humans, which could make it a safe, convenient way to stop the spread of polyps, thanks to it promoting production of a chemical called cyclic GMP inside the body. |