Scientific Writing, 17 abr. A team of scientists from Washington State University (WSU) in the United States has identified a gene present in almost all mammalian species that could be the key to the development of a highly effective, reversible and non-hormonal male contraceptive.

In the study, the team identified expression of the ‘Arrdc5’ gene, present in the testicular tissue of mice, pigs, cattle and humans, which when knocked out in mice did not cause infertility than in males.

The details are published today in an article by Nature Communications.

“The study identifies for the first time that this gene is only expressed in testicular tissue, nowhere else in the body, and is expressed in multiple mammalian species,” said lead author Jon Oatley. professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Washington.

“When this gene is inactivated or inhibited in males, they produce sperm unable to fertilize an egg, a prime target for the development of male contraceptives,” he explains.

WITHOUT HORMONAL EFFECTS

Although other molecular targets have been identified for the potential development of male contraceptives, the “Arrdc5” gene is specific to male testes and is found in multiple species.

The absence of this gene causes a condition called oligoasthenoteratospermia or OAT, which affects the concentration, motility and morphology of sperm and prevents them from fertilizing eggs, thus causing infertility in men.

In the WSU study, male mice lacking this gene produced 28% fewer sperm, which moved 2.8 times slower than normal mice, and about 98% of their sperm had heads and socks. abnormal.

The protein encoded by this gene is necessary for normal sperm production, which is why Oatley’s team is already working on designing a drug that inhibits the production or function of this protein, which would aid contraception. masculine without interfering with hormones.

And it is that by altering only this protein, testosterone would not be affected, which is important because, in addition to producing sperm, testosterone is also responsible for the formation of bone mass and muscle strength , and the production of red blood cells. .

Designing a drug targeting this protein would also facilitate its reversibility as a contraceptive.

“It’s not about eliminating the ability to produce sperm, but preventing those that are produced from doing so properly”, so “theoretically the drug could be removed and sperm would begin to be produced normally again” . the searcher.

Oatley and the study’s first author, Mariana Giassetti, filed a provisional patent for the development of a male contraceptive based on this gene and the protein it encodes.

As the gene is found in nearly all mammalian species, the finding also holds promise for its use in animals as an alternative to castration, which is currently one of the few existing means of controlling reproduction.

It could also be used in wildlife when one wants to limit the overpopulation of a species.

In humans, this drug would help control reproduction because although many forms of contraception exist for women, they are not always effective or widely available, and more than half of pregnancies in the world remain unwanted according to the Nations. united.

In the case of men, at present, there is no method of contraception other than surgery, “and only a small percentage of men opt for a vasectomy”, recalls Oatley.

“If we can turn this discovery into a contraceptive solution, it could have far-reaching implications,” he concludes. ECE

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