Pharmaceutical Approaches
and Advancements in Male Contraception
Evren Algın
Yapar1* and Özge İnal2
1Ministry of Health of Turkey, Turkish Medicines and
Medical Devices Agency Söğütözü Mah. 2176. Sok. No:5
Kat:6, 06520 Çankaya-Ankara, 2Department of
Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy,
University of Ankara, 06100 Tandoğan- Ankara, Turkey #
*For correspondence:
Email:
algin@pharmacy.ankara.edu.tr or
evrenalgin@yahoo.com Tel: +90-532-382
56 86
Received: 7 March 2012
Revised
accepted: 31 October 2012
Tropical
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, December 2012;
11(6):
1013-1021
http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v11i6.19
Abstract
Currently available contraceptive methods offer a
variety of options for women, but only very few for men
which include surgical methods, condom and hormonal
methods. Non-surgical and non-hormonal methods are under
investigation. Among these, hormonal contraceptive
approaches, including injections, oral and transdermal
delivery systems of testosterone, have attracted the
attention of investigators. Also non-hormonal approaches
based on chemicals extracted from different plants such
as cotton seed plant, Neem tree, Trypterigium wilfordii
and Momordica Charantia seed, are known to have effect
on male fertility. Additionally, alkylated imino sugars,
Ca++ channel blockers, indenopyridines,
indazole-3-carboxylic acid analogues,
reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance (RISUG) which involves injection of
stericmaleic anhydride with dimethyl sulfoxide,
spermicidemicrobicide (including gel formulations)
and vaccine approaches are intended to interfere
in a certain fertilization step. Information obtained
from multi-center studies in several countries on both
men or women shows the necessity for additional
reversible male contraceptive methods. Results from
recent surveys clearly indicate that there is a market
and a need for novel pharmaceutical preparations for
male contraception.
Keywords: Male Contraception,
Contraceptive agents, Hormonal methods