While hormonal contraceptives are efficacious and available in several forms for women, perception of safety and concern over side effects are a deterrent for many. Existing non-hormonal contraceptives include permanent sterilization, copper intrauterine devices (IUDs), chemical/physical barriers such as spermicides and condoms, as well as traditional family planning methods including withdrawal and the rhythm method. Individuals who wish to retain their fertility in the future can achieve highest adherence and efficacy with long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs), though there is only one, the copper IUD, that is non-hormonal. As rates of unintended pregnancies remain high with existing contraceptive options, it is becoming increasingly attractive to develop novel pregnancy prevention methods for both women and men. Non-hormonal contraceptives can target a variety of critical reproductive processes discussed here. This review focuses on identified non-hormonal contraceptive targets and subsequent drug candidates in development.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10381146 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm12144791 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Influence of Menstrual Phase and Symptoms on Sleep Before and After Matches for Professional Footballers.
Scand J Med Sci Sports
January 2025
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
This study investigated the association of menstrual cycle phase and symptoms with objective and subjective sleep measures from professional footballers before and after matches. Twenty-three non-hormonal contraceptive-using professional footballers (from four clubs) were monitored for up to four menstrual cycles during a domestic league season. Menstrual phases (menstruation, mid-late follicular, luteal) were determined using calendar counting and urinary hormone tests (luteinizing hormone and pregnandiol-3-glucuronide).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCDK2 Allosteric Modulators: The New Route in the Design of New Drugs as Anticancer and Non-hormonal Contraceptives.
Curr Med Chem
January 2025
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutcihe (STEBICEF) Università di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, 90123 Palermo.
CDK2 plays a pivotal role in controlling the cell cycle progression in eukaryotes and for this reason, it has been the subject of several studies for suitable inhibitors in the last decades. But more than 30 years of basic research have not generated an inhibitor as marketed drugs. Some inhibitors are to date in early phase clinical development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe interaction between meiosis-expressed gene 1 (MEIG1) and Parkin co-regulated gene (PACRG) is a critical determinant of spermiogenesis, the process by which round spermatids mature into functional spermatozoa. Disruption of the MEIG1-PACRG complex can impair sperm development, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for addressing male infertility or for the development of non-hormonal contraceptive methods. This study used virtual screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to identify small molecule inhibitors targeting the MEIG1-PACRG interface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpatial transcriptomics unveils estrogen-modulated immune responses and structural alterations in the ectocervical mucosa of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate users.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Medicine Solna, Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Bioclinicum J7:20, 171 76, Solna, Sweden.
The injectable contraceptive, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), is associated with compromised cervical mucosal barriers. High-resolution spatial transcriptomics is applied here to reveal the spatial localization of these altered molecular markers. Ectocervical tissue samples from Kenyan sex workers using DMPA, or non-hormonal contraceptives, underwent spatial transcriptomics and gene set enrichment analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA non-hormonal reversible contraceptive targeting GSK3α, a protein kinase, essential for epididymal sperm maturation.
Andrology
January 2025
Manipal Centre for Biotherapeutics Research, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Background And Objectives: Epididymal transit renders key competence to mammalian spermatozoa for fertilizing eggs. Generally, the two paralogs of glycogen synthase kinase 3, GSK3α and GSK3β, functionally overlap except in testis and sperm. We showed that GSK3α is essential for epididymal sperm maturation and fertilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!