Depression medication could also protect against heart disease

The antidepression drug duloxetine could be beneficial to patients with both depression and cardiovascular disease, according to new studies performed in human blood and in mice. Globally, more than 300 million people have depression, which comes with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

When a blood vessel is injured, the platelets in our blood respond by forming clots that stop blood bleeding. If this activation goes into overdrive, it can lead to thrombosis, a condition where blood clots form inside blood vessels and can dislodge to lead to a heart attack or stroke. In the new studies, researchers showed that duloxetine inhibited platelet function and protected against clot formation.

"Understanding the antiplatelet effects of duloxetine is critical due to the prevalence of patients with depression and cardiovascular disease," said Patricia A. Lozano, a research assistant at the Texas A&M University Rangel College of Pharmacy. "Having one drug that can treat both conditions could help avoid drug interactions. Duloxetine may also serve as a blueprint for developing a novel class of antithrombotic agents."

Lozano, who works in the laboratory of Fatima Alshbool, PharmD, PhD, and Fadi Khasawneh, PhD, will present the new research at the END