A medication created for depression over forty years back, may help or even reverse the growth of the muscle and decreased pumping ability linked to heart failure, by exciting the natural reaction of the heart to stree which is called ‘fight or flight’.
Circulation Research recently released a paper by a group of American and Italian heart specialists which shows that clorgyline, an old antidepressant medication helped to stead the rate of blood pumped in rats whilst also reinforcing the heart’s reaction to stressful stimuli.
They believe this is because clorgyline prevents monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) from performing its normal breakdown of a critical neurohormone. Due to this, norepinephrine is released which helps the heart beat faster.
It is therefore believed that high levels of MAO-A triggers potential heart failure and can be prevented by medication.
The lead researcher and cardiologist, Doctor Nazareno Paolocci, however states that caution must be taken over the results, as they are only the first step in proving an important concept. MAO-A should not be used for this as there are many serious and damaging side effects – which is why it was discontinued in humans years ago.
Consequently, researchers went on to try and find already approved drugs which could have the same positive effect due to their inhibiting nature.
The reason inhibitors are believed to work is as follows: When norepinephrine is not well kept within the nerves, it is thought it passes over into the heart, where it is easily broken down by MAO-A. This then makes hydrogen peroxide, which is damaging to the muscle and lowers its ability to contract.
These days, around 5.7 million Americans experience serious heart failure, which results in approximately 290,000 deaths per year. Most of these victims have a high blood pressure level, which is the primary cause for the condition.
