The blood pressure drug Losartan may be able to block a gene found in the blood, angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AGTR1), and improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy, according to a study published June 19 in Science Translational Medicine.
Researchers from Columbia, Mo.-based University of Missouri School of Medicine evaluated this by either removing the AGTR1 gene in mice with acute myeloid leukemia or giving the mice with this cancer the gene-blocking drug Losartan.
Deleting the gene in mice led to "decreased leukemic burden and increased survival," according to the researchers.
Treating the mice with Losartan was found to enhance "the efficacy of chemotherapy against AML and prevented cardiotoxicity associated with the chemotherapy treatment," they wrote.
Chemotherapy has long been the only treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia, but cardiotoxicity from chemotherapy harms the heart. However, the ability to protect the heart while also fighting the cancer could be used to improve treatment overall and patient outcomes.