Viagra and Jetlag

Filed in archive Offbeat on November 17, 2007

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Did you know that there is a link between Viagra and Jet lag? Don't laugh, because there is. Well, at least to hamsters.

A study shows, that Viagra does not treat impotence, it can also "counteract the effect of jet lag by restoring normal function of if the body clock is shifted forward by six hours."

Sildenafil, which was originally developed by the company Pfizer for the treatment of high blood pressure and angina, works by interfering with an enzyme that reduces levels of a naturally occurring compound, cyclic guanine monophosphate (cGMP), which plays a role in many processes, such as erections.

In the brain, cGMP also works in a region that regulates the circadian cycle, the body's daily clock that governs the waxing and waning of hormones and the urge to sleep and to wake.

After injecting the hamsters with the drug Sildefanil and turning bright light 6 hours early, the team from the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes found that the injected hamsters recovered earlier (25-50%) than those untreated.

The study only worked for the light/dark cycle (or flying from west to east).

via The Telegraph