The drug that comes in a little blue pill could help keep malaria contained by stiffening up the parasite that causes it, say researchers.
…It’s possible that Viagra, aka Sildenafil, could make it harder for mosquitoes to spread malaria.
…We all know what Viagra is used for and what part of the body it affects, and we’re all presumably mature adults who can rise above such juvenile behavior to confront a serious subject.
…Researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Paris found that drugs like Viagra may be effective in preventing malaria from spreading from person to person by stiffening up the parasite that causes it, according to a May 16 story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
…According to the Herald, “Using an artificial spleen, the team found that certain drugs such as Viagra, also known as sildenafil, could stiffen these cells by inhibiting an enzyme that would normally make them squishy.
…More specifically, according to the study, published May 7 in the online journal PLOS Pathogens, the drugs make the parasites less flexible, which in turn changes the shape of the blood cells so that they’re more likely to be detected by the spleen.
…A study announced by the University of Bonn in 2013 found that the drug could be useful in burning fat. Another study, published in 2010 in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, found that drugs like Viagra and Cialis could be effective in treating altitude sickness.
…A study published back in 1999 in the British Medical Journal reported finding that it was possible to prolong the life of cut flowers by dissolving a Viagra tablet in water.
…Crave freelancer Danny Gallagher has contributed to Cracked.com, Mental Floss, Maxim, Break.com, Mandatory, Jackbox Games, Geeks Who Drink and many, many other publications in his never-ending quest to bring the world’s productivity to a screeching halt.