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 21 August 2008 20:42 BST

Hopes for a male contraceptive

Monday, 30 Oct 2006 13:54
New research could see condoms being a thing of the past

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A study which found that infertility could be induced in mice has led to hopes that a male contraceptive could be developed for use in men.

C Yan Cheng and colleagues from the Centre for Biomedical Research in New York discovered that infertility can be induced by specifically targeting germ cell adhesion to the testes.

In spermatogenesis, the process in which stem germ cells develop into mature spermatozoa (sperm cells), developing germ cells 'stick' to Sertoli cells – nurse cells that nurture the developing sperm.

If the adhesion between these cells is compromised in men, then infertility can occur.

The researchers disrupted the interaction between germ and Sertoli cells using a recently-developed compound known as Adjudin, which was coupled to a mutant form of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to ensure it would be taken directly to the gonads.

Relatively low doses of Adjudin induced infertility in the rats with no obvious side effects.

Future studies will now be undertaken to explore whether this method could be used with equal effectiveness in men, but writing in the journal Nature Medicine the researchers argue: "We anticipate that this compound could become a male contraceptive for human use."End of story


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