Women have many options to control birth, however, one of the most used, the pill, carries with it great side effects that are rarely commented on socially. However, a version for men could be about to hit the markets.
We have always gotten the worst of it by carrying almost all the weight in pregnancy prevention. However, as we already know, it is not a one-person thing.
For this we have been subjected to psychic and physical problems caused by the pill.
Today, Scientists report a non-hormonal male contraceptive that effectively prevents pregnancy in mice, with no obvious side effects. The researchers will present their results today at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Considering that men currently have only two effective options for birth control, male condoms and vasectomy, this could be a pretty smart third.
“Scientists have been trying for decades to develop an effective male oral contraceptive, but there is still no approved pill on the market”says Md Abdullah Al Noman, one of the scientists presenting this project.
Most of the compounds currently in clinical trials target the male sex hormone, testosterone, which could cause side effects such as weight gain, depression, and increased levels of low-density lipoproteins (known as LDL).
This new drug seeks to fight against that. To develop your non-hormonal male contraceptive, the researchers targeted a protein called retinoic acid receptor alpha.
This protein is part of a family of three nuclear receptors that bind retinoic acid, a form of vitamin A that plays important roles in cell growth, differentiation, and embryonic development.
Knocking out this gene, for the time being and in mice, It has reduced the number of sperm and was 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, with no side effects. Mice were able to return to having pups 4-6 weeks after stopping receiving the compound.
This pill, according to the researchers, will begin testing in human clinical trials in the third or fourth quarter of 2022. “Because it can be difficult to predict whether a compound that looks good in animal studies will also do well in human trials, we are currently exploring other compounds as well,” he says.
They hope their efforts will eventually lead to the elusive male oral contraceptive.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism