Male Contraceptive Drug In The Works
Scientists report promising results with a male contraceptive drug tested on rats.
The drug, called Adjudin, is a long way from human use. But lab tests on rats showed no signs of side effects, and the drug's effects wore off in 20 weeks.
The researchers included Chuen-yan Cheng, PhD, of the Population Council's Center for Biomedical Research. The Population Council is a New York-based international nonprofit organization that conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research.
About Adjudin
Basically, Adjudin nips wannabe sperm cells in the bud. Those cells, called germ cells, ordinarily develop into sperm. But they need the help of other cells, called Sertoli cells, to reach that destiny.
Adjudin interferes with the process.
Cheng's team previously reported from other animal tests that Adjudin, given orally by itself, was too toxic to be a suitable contraceptive because it caused liver inflammation and muscle shrinkage (atrophy).
So the scientists bundled Adjudin with a synthetic version of the sex hormone FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and injected it into the bellies of four male rats.
The researchers played matchmaker four, six, 12, and 20 weeks later, putting the treated rats in cages with virgin female rats for two to four days.
For comparison, they put male rats that hadn't gotten the contraceptive in other cages with female rats.
The male and female rats mated, as expected.
All the male rats that had gotten the contraceptive shots were infertile four and six weeks after treatment. Their fertility resumed 20 weeks after getting the shots. That shows the contraceptive is "reversible," the researchers write.
In comparison, all the female rats that mated with the untreated male rats gave birth to baby rats.
No side effects were reported in the treated rats.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
© 2006 WebMD, LLC.. All Rights Reserved. The drug, called Adjudin, is a long way from human use. But lab tests on rats showed no signs of side effects, and the drug's effects wore off in 20 weeks.
The researchers included Chuen-yan Cheng, PhD, of the Population Council's Center for Biomedical Research. The Population Council is a New York-based international nonprofit organization that conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research.
About Adjudin
Basically, Adjudin nips wannabe sperm cells in the bud. Those cells, called germ cells, ordinarily develop into sperm. But they need the help of other cells, called Sertoli cells, to reach that destiny.
Adjudin interferes with the process.
Cheng's team previously reported from other animal tests that Adjudin, given orally by itself, was too toxic to be a suitable contraceptive because it caused liver inflammation and muscle shrinkage (atrophy).
So the scientists bundled Adjudin with a synthetic version of the sex hormone FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and injected it into the bellies of four male rats.
The researchers played matchmaker four, six, 12, and 20 weeks later, putting the treated rats in cages with virgin female rats for two to four days.
For comparison, they put male rats that hadn't gotten the contraceptive in other cages with female rats.
The male and female rats mated, as expected.
All the male rats that had gotten the contraceptive shots were infertile four and six weeks after treatment. Their fertility resumed 20 weeks after getting the shots. That shows the contraceptive is "reversible," the researchers write.
In comparison, all the female rats that mated with the untreated male rats gave birth to baby rats.
No side effects were reported in the treated rats.
SOURCES: Mruk, D. Nature Medicine, Oct. 29, 2006; advance online publication. WebMD Medical News: "Gene Therapy Offers Hope to Infertile Men." News release, Nature and the Nature research journals.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
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You are an ungrateful idiot. "Cure anything?" Why do you think the average American life expectancy has more than doubled in the last 150 years? Effective cures and therapies for every type of ailment are discovered on an almost daily basis. Have you failed to notice that it is no longer commonplace for thousands of people a year to die from the common cold?
Evan
I don't believe any of that crud about trusting or not trusting a partner with contraception. It has nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with responsibility. If you, personally, do not want children, then it is up to you, personally, to ensure that you do not have them, whether it be by condoms, abstinence, or pills. If the thought of putting on a condom, or taking a pill, turns you off, then you aren't mature enough to be having *** anyway. Grow up, then you can play the adult games. (though I don't mean to imply that a relationship is play, lol)
Of course, I need to make it clear that I don't believe in sexual relations outside of marriage. But I see the value of male and female contraception no matter whether you agree or disagree with me.