Scientists develop male contraceptive – 02/15/2023 – Health

In a scientific study published on Tuesday (14), researchers showed that it is closer to a male contraceptive pill – in this case, it is a non-hormonal medication, used on demand and that works by preventing sperm from swimming.

Tests on mice suggest that the pill manages to keep sperm dysfunctional for a few hours, enough to prevent them from reaching the egg, as shown by the study in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Many other tests are foreseen and are necessary for the project to move forward. Before trials are carried out on people, tests on rabbits are planned.

The idea is that eventually users will be able to take the pill an hour before sex.

TEMPORARY EFFECT

Unlike the female contraceptive pill, the new male pill does not involve hormones.

According to the scientists responsible for the project, this is one of its advantages: it would not be necessary to cut testosterone and there would be no side effects due to hormonal changes.

Instead, the “sperm swimming” switch is a cell signaling protein called soluble adenylyl cyclase. The experimental male pill blocks the action of this enzyme.

In the initial mouse study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health, a single dose of the drug, called TDI-11861, immobilized sperm before, during and after sex.

The effect lasted for about three hours, and within 24 hours it seemed to have completely disappeared.

One of the study’s authors, Melanie Balbach, of the Weill Cornell Medicine research center in New York, said the project showed promise for being an easy-to-use, reversible contraceptive.

But it is important to remember that the contraceptive would not protect against sexually transmitted infections – for this, condoms are still necessary.

Not involved in the study, Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield, welcomed the results.

“There is a pressing need for an effective, reversible oral contraceptive for men, and although many different approaches have been tested over the years, none have yet reached the market,” recalls Pacey.

“The approach described here, knocking out a key enzyme for sperm movement, is a really new idea. The fact that it’s able to act and be reversed so quickly is really exciting.”

“If the mouse trials can be replicated in humans with the same degree of effectiveness, then this could be the male contraceptive approach we are looking for.”