A cancer drug normally used to shrink tumors also reduces enlarged, diseased hearts, say researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
The drug, a type of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, caused the enlarged hearts of mice with heart failure to shrink and work more efficiently. (HDAC enzymes suppress the genes that can stop the growth of cancer cells.)
“The heart decreased back to near its normal size, and heart function that had previously been declining went back to normal,” said senior author Dr. Joseph Hill in a statement.
“This is a powerful observation where disease regression, not just disease prevention, was seen.” Scientists are starting to test human heart patients.