BEIJING, June 18, 2025 – New laboratory research from Peking University suggests that sildenafil—best known by its brand name Viagra – may hold promise as a treatment to prevent age-related bone loss.
In a study published this month in Stem Cell Research & Therapy, researchers led by Menglong Hu and Likun Wu investigated how sildenafil affects human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), which can develop into bone-forming osteoblasts.
Key findings:
- In vitro testing showed that hMSCs exposed to an optimal dose of sildenafil (approximately 10 mg/L) exhibited significantly increased osteogenic differentiation—the process by which stem cells become bone cells
- In vivo experiments using mouse models of osteoporosis (including postmenopausal and microgravity-induced bone loss) demonstrated sildenafil significantly mitigated bone loss
- Molecular analysis pointed to sildenafil enhancing differentiation primarily via the transforming growth factor‑β (TGF‑β) signaling pathway—critical in bone metabolism
Why it matters:
Osteoporosis affects roughly 22% of older adults globally. Current treatments often carry side effects ranging from gastrointestinal issues to rare complications like jaw osteonecrosis. Because sildenafil is already approved, widely available, and has a known safety profile, repurposing it for bone health could be both safe and cost-effective.
What’s next:
The authors urge caution: these promising findings are preclinical. “Further work,” they note, is essential to determine safe and effective dosing in humans and to better understand how sildenafil influences TGF‑β signaling in the human skeletal system.
Read more at – https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13287-025-04320-7