Resurrection of sildenafil: potential for Huntington's Disease, too?

J Neurol. 2022 Sep;269(9):5144-5150. doi: 10.1007/s00415-022-11196-7. Epub 2022 May 28.

Abstract

The phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil was postulated to reduce the risk for Alzheimer's Disease. Since preclinical data revealed beneficial effects in Huntington's Disease (HD), we now for the first time investigated effects of sildenafil in HD patients using the database ENROLL-HD. We demonstrate beneficial effects on motoric, functional and cognitive capacities in cross-sectional data. Those effects were not explained by underlying fundamental molecular genetic or demographic data. It remains unsolved, if effects are due to behavioral differences or due to direct dose-dependent neurobiological modulations.

Keywords: Huntington’s disease; Neurodegeneration; Phosphodiesterase-inhibitor; Sildenafil.

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Huntington Disease*
  • Sildenafil Citrate / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Sildenafil Citrate