Researchers know that ouabain disrupts the passage of sodium and potassium ions through cell membranes it interferes with the proper function of proteins that transport the ions in and out of cells. In fact, physicians have used ouabain in very small doses to treat patients with heart arrhythmias or suffering from heart attacks.Ī cross-section of a cell membrane shows how pumps made of protein subunits move sodium and potassium ions in and out of the cell. Mammals also produce ouabain in their bodies, though at lower nonlethal levels that scientists think can help control blood pressure. In collaboration with Gustavo Blanco at the University of Kansas, College of Pharmacy researchers have homed in on ouabain: a toxic substance produced by two types of African plants. Good motility is a necessary condition for fertilizing a female egg. The long-term effects of using hormones for male oral contraception are unknown, and it will likely be decades before this information is available.Īt the College of Pharmacy, Georg, Jon Hawkinson, Shameem Syeda, and colleagues have focused on nonhormonal contraception methods that work by targeting sperm motility - biology-speak for the sperms’ ability to move or swim effectively. While the male hormonal birth control pill option is in clinical human trials and likely closer to market, it has several potential side effects: In addition to potentially causing weight gain and changes in libido, it has the ability to lower the levels of good cholesterol (HDL-C) in men, which could negatively affect the heart health of users. Current hormonal agents under study involve the sex steroids progestins and testosterone. Researchers are exploring both hormonal and nonhormonal options for male birth control pills. It’s time for more options.Īt the College of Pharmacy, Georg, Jon Hawkinson, Shameem Syeda, and colleagues have focused on nonhormonal contraception methods that work by targeting sperm motility - biology-speak for the sperms’ ability to move or swim effectively. Unplanned pregnancy rates remain high across the globe. When it comes to birth control options for men, the need is clear. Vasectomy is an invasive procedure to do that’s also difficult and invasive to reverse. An estimated 500,000 American men opt for a vasectomy each year - a small number given the need for contraception. Together, these two methods account for just 30 percent of contraception used, leaving the remaining 70 percent of contraceptive methods to women. Today, men have just two choices when it comes to birth control: condoms or a vasectomy. The pill has provided women with safe, effective and reversible options for birth control, while options for men have been stuck in a rut. While the birth control pill has been available to women in the United States for nearly six decades - and FDAapproved for contraceptive use since 1960 - an oral contraceptive for men has not yet come to market. Professor Gunda Georg and colleagues are working on a promising lead for a male birth control pill based on ouabain (/wä'ba-in/) - a plant extract that African warriors and hunters traditionally used as a heart-stopping poison on their arrows.
After decades of research, development of a male birth control may now be one step closer.
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