The natural product is called ouabain and it's found in two plants
native to Africa — the acokanthera schimperi, or "arrow poison tree,"
and the strophanthus gratus, more commonly known as climbing oleander.
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| My Fertility Choices |
Ouabain is a toxic substance that can cause damage to the heart tissue
and lead to death,
but when used in much smaller doses, it's actually
found in drugs prescribed by doctors to help control blood pressure and
treat heart attack patients.
Researchers at the American Chemical Society
noted that ouabain has been shown to curb fertility in men but its high
toxicity levels make it unsuitable for this purpose — perhaps until
now. The scientists created a new ouabain analog — a variation of the
compound with a slightly different molecular structure — that is
designed to hone in on a specific protein in sperm that controls its
ability to swim. If sperm cells aren't able to swim, they can't reach
and fertilize an egg.
The team tried out its new ouabain compound on rats and discovered that
it made them infertile but also proved safe to the animals' overall
health, the study published in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
said. The scientists also believe that the effects of the pill are
completely reversible, like the widely used female birth control pill.
New sperm cells were not affected once oubain left the rats' systems.
This potential male birth control pill has not been tested on humans
but the new research is an encouraging step toward leveling the playing
field of male and female contraceptive options.
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