Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Sciences have discovered that sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, slows cancer metastasis by blocking the supply of cholesterol that tumor cells need to invade other organs.
A team of researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Sciences in Israel has demonstrated that sildenafil —the active ingredient in erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra— can slow the spread of cancer by preventing tumor cells from accessing the cholesterol they need to migrate to other organs.
The finding, published in a scientific study, opens the door to a potential oncological use of this low-cost medication with a well-known safety profile. Metastasis, responsible for the majority of cancer deaths, remains the great challenge of current oncology.
According to the researchers, sildenafil works by limiting the availability of cholesterol in cancer cells. Without that supply, the cells lose their ability to detach from the primary tumor and invade distant tissues, a key process in the spread of the disease.
The study has been conducted in laboratory models and animals, and the results have been described as “promising” by the scientists themselves, although they warn that clinical trials in humans are still needed to confirm its efficacy and establish appropriate doses.
The research adds to a growing line of work that analyzes the role of cholesterol in tumor development. Previous studies had already indicated that cancer cells modify their lipid metabolism to grow and spread, but this is the first study to identify an already approved drug capable of interfering in that process.
Sildenafil has been marketed since 1998 for erectile dysfunction and is also used in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Its side effect profile is well known, which could expedite regulatory processes if clinical trials confirm its anticancer potential.
For cancer patients, the possibility of having a cheap, accessible medication with decades of safe use represents an additional hope. However, experts insist that self-medication should be avoided: the doses used in the study may differ from the usual ones, and only a doctor can assess their suitability.
The next step will be to design clinical trials in humans to evaluate the efficacy of sildenafil as an adjunct in standard oncological treatments. If positive results are confirmed, the drug could become another tool against metastasis, the main factor of mortality in cancer.
The Weizmann Institute, one of the most prestigious research institutions in the world, continues its line of work at the intersection of known drugs and new therapeutic applications, a field that promises to accelerate the arrival of treatments to patients.
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