MALE BIRTH CONTROL?

A non-hormonal contraceptive shows promise in male mice

A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota have obtained promising results in a trial testing a non-hormonal male contraceptive on mice.

“Scientists have been trying for decades to develop an effective male oral contraceptive,” says University of Minnesota, US, researcher Md Abdullah Al Noman.

Most compounds currently undergoing clinical trials target the male sex hormone testosterone, and can produce undesirable side effects like weight gain, depression and increased cholesterol levels.

Researchers targeted a protein called the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR-Α), a form of vitamin A that plays a key role in cell growth, cell differentiation and embryonic development.

The team synthesised approximately 100 compounds and identified one – YCT529 – that was 99% effective when given to male mice for four weeks. The mice were able to father pups again 4–6 weeks after they stopped receiving the compound.