Old drug, new trick

A Sydney collaboration has reported on a study that suggests that paracetamol, as well as relieving pain, could also be used to prevent conditions associated with free radicals (eg, some heart diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers).

The collaboration involved the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at the Heart Research Institute, St Vincent's Hospital and The University of NSW, and its report is published in the current edition of Biochemical Pharmacology.

The study reports discovering - in model cell culture systems using paracetamol doses in the range currently prescribed for pain relief - that paracetamol is able to prevent the enzyme myeloperoxidase from producing the reactive chemical hypochlorous acid, which (although a factor in the body's natural defence against infection) can damage heart tissue.