Hair-loss drug relaxes blood vessels and combats multiple cardiovascular risk factors

Blood vessels become stiffer with age due to the gradual loss of a stretchy protein called elastin, leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular complications such as sudden death, stroke and heart attack in older adults. In a recent study, researchers examined whether these problems could be treated by an over-the-counter vessel-widening drug called minoxidil, which is used to treat high blood pressure as well as hair loss. In elastin-deficient mice with chronic vascular stiffness, treatment with minoxidil lowered blood pressure, improved blood flow, and reduced the stiffness of arteries to normal levels. The study, which was partly funded by NHLBI and published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, suggest that minoxidil may offer a novel intervention that simultaneously provides multiple benefits to patients with genetic or age-dependent elastin insufficiency.