Goodbye to the pill? To the condom? To the IUD? … The search for new contraceptive methods continues, although at a much slower pace than we would like. Now, a study from North Carolina State University (USA) could have taken a big step in this regard. The discovery comes in the form of a contraceptive gel that has been shown to work in three different ways: to prevent pregnancy, inhibit viruses against sexually transmitted diseases and increase libido, at least in studies with rats and pigs.
This yellowish gel contains spermicidal agents, antivirals and compounds that improve libido. When tested in a rat model, the gel improved male libido and prevented pregnancy in 100% of cases. While the gel has yet to be tested in humans, the researchers say it offers great potential to improve the safety of sexual intercourse.
“The contraceptive gel that we created produced higher contraceptive success rates than those on the market, and has great potential to improve the safety and quality of sexual intercourse,” said Ke Cheng, leader of the paper who publishes the journal Bioactive Materials.
The gel works with three ingredients , already approved by the FDA: gossypol , a spermicide that inhibits sperm motility and previous research highlights its potential as a contraceptive, tenofovir, an antiviral that inhibits virus transcription and replication and is already used for reduce the transmission of HIV and nitroglycerin (yes, the highly explosive chemical compound) which, in small amounts, helps expand vascular smooth muscle and thus increases local blood flow; It is therefore considered an effective erectile enhancer.
“We are using three pharmacological agents in a new formulation,” continues Cheng.
Currently available spermicidal gels do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, they are only about 72% effective and their prolonged use can destroy bacteria normally found in the vagina and cause irritation and damage , potentially increasing the risk of get STDs.
The new contraceptive gel has a pH of 4.5 , which is the same as that of the vagina, which makes it compatible with it. In experiments they also showed that it does not damage vaginal epithelial cells and does not appear to affect liver or kidney function.
At 10 micrograms per milliliter of gossypol concentration, the gel was effective in killing almost 100% of pig sperm, used for in vitro tests , in 30 seconds. Lower concentrations were equally effective in 180 seconds.
The researchers also tested the gel in vitro against a lentivirus, a type of retrovirus that causes chronic and fatal disease, finding that it had an inhibitory effect, indicating its potential to reduce the transmission of STDs.
In the rat experiments, apart from the contraceptive effects (no female became pregnant with the gel), the effect of the gel on the libido and erectile function of male rats was also palpable: the rats that received the gel mated more frequently. and with shorter incubation periods than those that did not receive it.
The gel will still need to undergo human testing for safety and efficacy before it is available for commercialization, but these results are really promising , and this all-in-one contraceptive could be the definitive contraceptive answer in the near future.
Referencia: “A trifunctional contraceptive gel enhances the safety and quality of sexual intercourse” DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.11.031 Authors: Mengjie Xie, Junlang Li, Sichen Zhang, Dashuai Zhu, Xuan Mei, Zhenzhen Wang, Xiao Cheng, Zhenhua Li, Ke Cheng, North Carolina State University; Shaowei Wang, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Published: Online Dec. 3, 2020 in Bioactive Materials
