Researchers at the Centre for Reproductive Biology in Edinburgh, United Kingdom say that by manipulating testicular hormone levels it may be possible to turn male fertility on and off, a finding that could lead to the development of a male birth control pill and treatment for infertility. The study, published in the FASEB Journal, shows how and where androgenic hormones work in the testis to control normal sperm production and male fertility.

The researchers say that while the study was conducted in mice, a similar effect is likely to be seen in other mammals, such as humans.

 

“This study provides a new opportunity to identify how androgens control sperm production, which could provide new insight for the development of new treatments for male infertility and perhaps new male contraceptives,” said Michelle Welsh of the Centre for Reproductive Biology at The Queen's Medical Research Institute and a co-author of the study.

 

To make this discovery, Welsh and colleagues performed studies in two groups of mice. The first group of mice was normal, but the second group of mice was missing a gene from the peritubular myoid cells in the testis. The gene that was missing codes for the androgen hormone receptor. The researchers found when missing, sperm production was significantly decreased compared to the normal group. The result was infertility.

 

“Although ‘the pill’ arguably has been liberating for women since its development in the 1960s, a similar birth control drug for men has been elusive,” said Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of the FASEB Journal. “Not only does this research pinpoint androgenic hormones and their cellular receptors as prime targets for the development of new birth control drugs, but it promises to speed the development of new agents to boost sperm production.”