A new target for male contraception

Scientists have come closer to creating male medicinal contraceptives

Vyacheslav Golovanov, GeekTimes based on ScienceAlert: Scientists think they've found the key to making reversible, non-hormonal male contraceptives

Perhaps soon scientists will be able to obtain a medicinal contraceptive for men that does not have hormonal side effects. This will be possible due to the fact that biologists have found and isolated a specific enzyme present only in spermatozoa. Now scientists can test various drug options and find a suitable remedy that reduces sperm motility.

"We have reached another milestone in the issue of obtaining and isolating a full-length kinase enzyme in an amount sufficient to search for its inhibitors," says researcher John Herr from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "Isolating the active, full–sized form of this enzyme allows us to test drugs that attach to its entire surface, as a result of which we will be able to identify inhibitors that have a selective effect on sperm cells."

An enzyme called TSSK2, apparently, appears at the very last stages of sperm formation – this is very important, since a potential drug aimed at it will have a minimum of side effects on other body tissues and organs, on molecules with similar properties.

Drugs that attach to the surface of enzymes and suppress them are used in a wide range of therapeutic techniques, in particular, to combat leukemia. But in the field of contraception, this technique will be unique. While there are no medicinal contraceptives of this type.

Hormonal contraceptives have been tested so far and are used only in women. Various kinds of development of such means for men, either preventing the production of sperm, or reducing their activity, have been conducted for a long time and not very successfully. A common weak point of hormonal drugs are the side effects exerted on the body.

Regarding non-medicinal methods of male contraception, in addition to the use of condoms and surgical methods like vasectomy, we can also mention the actively researched method of "reversible sperm containment under guidance" (in the USA known as Vasalgel). In this case, a special polymer gel is injected into the vas deferens, preventing the passage of spermatozoa.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  15.04.2016