Science Lesson No. 1

Early in The Blow-up Man, we see that Todd’s research area is endothelial dysfunction. What’s that, you ask? Well, endothelial, or the endothelium, are cells that line the inside of our blood vessels, from the smallest capillaries to those of the heart. Endothelial dysfunction can be defined as a condition that promotes inflammation, clotting, and constrictive properties to these cells that fosters heart attack and stroke. In the healthy endothelium, an appropriate amount of nitric oxide is produced to keep our vessels dilated and our blood pressure from becoming too high.

But, did you know that Viagra® was originally tested as a drug to treat high blood pressure and chest pain associated with coronary heart disease? When Viagra®, then known as UK-92480, was tested in clinical trials, it didn’t prove effective in treating heart problems, but men reported an increase in erections after taking the test drug. Viagra® works by influencing the nitric oxide pathway, increasing the amount of it. This results in more blood flow and better erections.

The compound that Todd is testing, xe51β, also increases nitric oxide, but not in the same way as Viagra®. The biochemical pathways of the body are complex, and Todd and Faye have a lot of work ahead of them before they really understand how xe51β works.

Did you know that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States for men and women? Each October, we are barraged with the color pink to raise our awareness of breast cancer. One day I asked my mentor, Dr. Margaret Weis, why there seemed to be such a media blitz to highlight breast cancer research when heart disease is the number one killer in women. I’ll never forget her response, “Because breast cancer is what scares women, but its heart disease that kills them.”

Join me next time for Science Lesson No. 2. Don’t forget to check out the book trailer for The Blow-up Man @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwM4cNlwYgU. Bye, Nina B.