An older antidepressant that's no longer prescribed may find new life as an effective heart failure treatment, research suggests.
The drug, known as clorgyline, hasn't been tested in humans as a heart-failure medication, but research in animals has found it can reduce and even reverse the symptoms of heart failure, including enlargement of the heart and a weakened ability to pump blood through the body.
Researchers reporting their findings in the Jan. 8 issue of Circulation Research say the drug blocks a key enzyme called monoamine oxidase-A. Clorgyline stops the enzyme from breaking down a neurohormone -- norepinephrine -- that controls the pace of the heart's pumping.
" study helps describe heart failure as a vicious chemical circle of stimulant norepinephrine overload and breakdown, and it offers a disease blueprint with monoamine oxidase-A as the target for drugs similar to clorgyline to rein in the disease