Sarah Khatkhatay, SK Somaiya Vidhyadhar
From protection against STDs to family planning, contraceptives play an important role. Elements of safety, effectiveness, availability, and accessibility need to be considered by a woman or man at any point of their lifetimes when choosing the most appropriate contraceptive. Women have several choices or options for long-lasting and reversible contraceptives.
On the other hand, choices for men are either single-use or irreversible like condoms and vasectomies respectively. Keeping the need for a safe, long-lasting, and reversible male contraceptive in mind, a team of scientists from China’s Nantong University performed animal tests for male contraceptive methods. This research was published by the American Chemical Society in the journal Nano Letters.
Magnetic- thermal approach:
The experiment involved injecting mice with magnetic nanomaterials which are directed towards their testicles with the help of an external magnet. Further, using another magnetic field to elevate the temperatures so much that the production of sperms is temporarily stopped. The cause for elevated temperatures can be by wearing too-tight pants or underwear, which can decrease sperm count in men. Thus, the experiment uses this as a contraceptive method.
This approach to male contraception is a lot less troublesome than other similar attempts. To achieve long-lasting results, other experiments used higher temperatures leading to burning injuries. Injecting directly into the testes themselves can be painful and was also avoided by the new approach.
Forms of nanoparticles:
To develop a safe and effective male contraceptive, the nanoparticles used should be biodegradable. Researchers identified two forms of iron oxide nanoparticles that can be guided towards the testes on being heated with magnetic fields. The first nanoparticle was coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG). These could be heated to high temperatures but not easily controlled by magnets. On the other hand, the other nanoparticle was coated with citric acid. These could be easily manipulated by magnets.
Researchers injected repeated doses of nanoparticles that were coated with citric acid into the bloodstream of mice for 2 days. The nanoparticles were guided by magnets to the testes and an alternating magnetic field was applied to the area for 15 minutes. The little magnets were heated to 104°F, a considerably warmer yet safer temperature. The skin starts to experience first-degree burns at 118°F, hence it’s reasonable to say that the warmed magnets will not damage anything that they’re not supposed to.
Results:
Initially, the testes of the mice shrank and stopped producing new sperms in response to the heat. Spermatogenesis was inhibited. Seven days down the treatment the mice were firing nothing but blanks. Gradual recovery began after 30 to 60 days. The treated mice were back to fathering about 12 pubs per pregnant female at day 60. The nanoparticles were biodegradable and non-toxic to cells. They were gradually eliminated from the body.
When it comes to family planning, treatments like this could ultimately become available for humans. The treatment was far from the nuclear option, as it was designed to be temporary and the use of biodegradable nanoparticles that vanish overtime was an added benefit. Thus, opting to take a little heat for a month or two of birth control will not mess with anyone’s long-term plans for parenthood.
Also read: Insights into conserving Mangroves- Earth’s most Vulnerable Ecosystem
References:
- Ding, W., Chen, Z., Gu, Y., Chen, Z., Zheng, Y., & Sun, F. (2021). Magnetic testis targeting and magnetic hyperthermia for noninvasive, controllable male contraception via intravenous administration. Nano Letters, 21(14), 6289–6297. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02181
- Contraception | Reproductive Health | CDC. 13 Aug. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/index.htm
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Author info:
Sarah Khatkhatay, pursuing a master’s in biotechnology 2nd year is a hard-working student. She welcomes opportunities from every field of her course and is passionate about gaining more and more knowledge. She is attentive towards her work and tries to improve in every way possible. She is seeking a role that allows her to continue learning and encourages her to flourish in her work.
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