Gout Drug Allopurinol Promising in Chronic Stable Angina ~ From A Clinician's Bioscope

Image via Wikipedia Structure of Allopurinol

I quote; "Struthers explained that allopurinol is usually taken chronically to prevent gout and works by blocking the enzyme that forms uric acid, xanthine oxidase. It is generally taken at doses of up to 300 mg per day in the UK, so the 600-mg dose used in this instance is twice that generally prescribed. However, he said that allopurinol is approved for use in doses of up to 800 mg per day for gout in the US. His team chose 600 mg for their study after previous work showed this dose improved endothelial function and oxidative stress much more than 300 mg per day",from the original article. which says allopurinol may ease oxygen supply in stable angina,

LOCALIZATION AND RADIATION OF ANGINA PAIN

clipped from www.medscape.com

Gout Drug Allopurinol Promising in Chronic Stable Angina

June 8, 2010 (
Updated June 9, 2010
) (Dundee, United Kingdom)— A 40-year-old gout drug has been shown to have anti-ischemic properties and could be an alternative new treatment for the symptoms of chronic stable angina, UK researchers have discovered [1]. In a small six-week study published online June 7, 2010 in the Lancet, Dr Awsan Noman (University of Dundee, Scotland) and colleagues show that allopurinol enabled angina sufferers to exercise for 25% longer before they complained of chest pain or had ST depression on ECG, compared with placebo.

Xanthine-Oxidase Activity Contributes to Exercise-Induced Ischemia

Allopurinol Could Be Another Second Agent Option for Angina Symptoms

And since allopurinol is thought to protect the heart from oxygen deprivation, Struthers says the drug could even have potential in MI, although this needs to be further investigated.