Experiments in mice have led researchers to believe that drugs now used to treat erectile dysfunction may improve blood flow to muscles in boys with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) or Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles are testing the medication tadalafil (an erectile dysfunction drug commonly known as Cialis) on men with BMD. This new short-term clinical trial will examine whether acute Cialis dosing improves blood flow to forearm muscles during a bout of exercise and reduces fatigue in adults with BMD. In the first phase of the study, men aged 18-55 with and without BMD will undergo blood chemistry tests, DNA analysis, MRI scans of the forearm muscles before and after handgrip exercise, and ultrasound studies of blood flow before and after handgrip exercise. This initial phase of the study will establish differences in these results between the BMD and non-BMD participants and determine which BMD-affected participants meet study criteria for the second (medication) phase. In the medication phase of the trial, 24 men with BMD will repeat the testing after receiving two tadalafil pills on two consecutive days and on another day after receiving two placebo pills. The baseline evaluation day and the two study periods will each be separated by at least two weeks. The study is currently recruiting participants with and without BMD who meet study criteria.


Références :