An ideal kinase inhibitor has been identified to develop a male contraceptive.
Men have less contraception than women. Among the reasons is the low acceptance of users; for example, the hormonal contraceptives tested have not gone ahead, as the volunteers did not accept the side effects. Now, Science presents a molecule that causes sterility, safe and reversible, without any other consequences.
STK33 is a kinase inhibitor. STK33 is an essential protein for fertility in mice and humans. Its mutation produces sterility by altering sperm mobility and morphology, but it does not produce other consequences either.
So the researchers thought that if you found the molecule that inhibits it, you could open the way to developing a contraceptive. Thus, through the exploration of genetic databases, a number of molecules have been identified that specifically inhibit STK33. Once the molecular structure has been clarified, they have been synthesized in the laboratory and in the mice the most suitable has been found: CDD-2807.
According to experiments, this inhibitor is not toxic, crosses well the barrier between testicles and blood, does not accumulate in the brain and has effects similar to the STK33 mutation without affecting the measurement of the testicles. In addition, its effects are reversible: shortly after cessation of treatment, rats were again reproducers.
They still need to do more research in mice before testing them in humans, for example, to see their long-term impact. However, researchers hope to open a new path.
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