A male contraceptive pill has been developed that stops sperm activity for about 3 hours once taken.
According to the British BBC on the 14th, a research team led by Professor Buck of the Department of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical School in the United States published a study in the world-renowned journal ‘Nature Communications’ that found that sperm activity can be temporarily stopped only when necessary through drugs.
The research team explained, “According to animal experiments with mice, sperm can remain in a stunned state for several hours, preventing sperm from reaching the egg.”
In particular, the advantage of this new drug is that it does not affect hormones unlike female contraceptives. It does not cause side effects such as deficiency of the male hormone testosterone.
Controlling sperm activity is a cell signaling protein called soluble ‘adenylyl cyclase’. It is to inhibit or block it with drugs to prevent the movement of sperm.
TDI-11861 drug developed by the research team was administered to mice and sperm movement was checked before mating, during mating, and after mating. The stunned state of sperm lasted for about 3 hours, and the effect almost disappeared after 24 hours.
Dr. Melanie Balbach, one of the researchers, said of this new drug, “It is easy to use, and we confirmed that sperm can easily return to their original state.”
However, a number of experts warned that “the new drug will not prevent sexually transmitted diseases.”
It is unclear whether the results of this study will lead to the release of an actual male contraceptive. However, Alan Pacey, a professor of male medicine at the University of Sheffield, UK, told the BBC, “There have been many experiments and studies for years to develop male contraceptives, but none have been released to the market yet.” It will be the male contraceptive method I have been looking for,” he expressed his anticipation.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.