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Other than vasectomy, sexual abstinence or condoms that sometimes
fail, there have been no birth control options for men. Researchers think they
may have discovered a compound that means a
male contraceptive pill could become a reality. The news is good for women who have had the primary responsibility in the birth control arena.
Researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute and Baylor College of Medicine report in the Aug. 17 issue
of the journal Cell that they’ve used a compound called JQ1 in male mice to
create a form of birth control that seems to have no ill effects.
”Our findings demonstrate that, when given to
rodents, this compound produces a rapid and reversible decrease in sperm count
and mobility with profound effects on fertility,” said Dana-Farber’s James
Bradner, MD, the paper’s senior author in a press release.
J-Q1 was named for the lead chemist, Jun
Qi, PhD, in the Bradner laboratory. The compound was originally
developed to block a gene that causes cancer, called BRD4.
The researchers wanted to find out if JQ1 would have an
effect on BRD4. Earlier research showed mice given the compound were infertile,
leading the scientists to investigate the compound’s effect on male fertility.
It turns out that J-Q1 interferes with sperm production
and quality, making the compound a possible option as a male contraceptive.
Mice given the compound were infertile because their
sperm were less mobile than mice not give JQ1. They also had lower sperm
counts.
“While we will be conducting more
research to see if we can build on our current findings, JQ1 shows initial
promise as a lead compound for male contraception”, says Bradner.
The elusive male birth control pill
might become a reality, based on the mouse studies. Mice given the compound
still displayed the same mating behaviors and had healthy offspring after JQ1
was discontinued. The question from many women is – would men take any kind of
birth control pill?
Source:
August 17, 2012
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