Skip to main content
. 2023 Feb 8;21(1):17–32. doi: 10.18502/ijrm.v21i1.12662

Table 2.

Development of nonhormonal male contraceptive


No <Molecule target/mechanism of action Small molecule of contraception candidate Note
Name Function Name Role Response
WIN18.446 Analog in the Retinoic acid (RA) pathway Efficacious and well tolerated in inhibiting spermatogenesis (50) It was halted because consuming alcohol while taking this drug results in a severe disulfiram reaction (51)
1. Retinoic acid
receptor (RAR) Inhibiting
spermatogenesis
(50) BMS-189453 RAR antagonist Reversible and inhibition of spermatogenesis in the mouse model (52) Screening for a strong specific antagonist RAR using in silico method to inhibiting spermatogenesis (6)
2. Bromodomain, testis specific (BRDT) Plays an important role in chromatin remodeling during spermatogenesis (53, 54) JQ1 BRDT inhibitor Reversible contraceptive effect in male rats (55) but can Binds to other BRD proteins that do not target molecules (56) It is necessary to develop optimized BRDT inhibitors. The potent and selective BET inhibitor candidate for BD2 was revealed by in silico analysis (6)
3. Kalium channel, subfamily U, member 1 (Kcnu1/Slo3) Controls calcium influx through CatSper. SLO3 genetic deletion causes infertility in male mice (57) RU1968 Steroid inhibitor CatSper progesterone-mediated motility dysfunction through Inhibition of hSLO3 (58) It is unclear whether this approach would be more suitable for female use because of the impact on progesterone function in the fallopian tubes (58)
4. Epididymal peptidase inhibitor (EPPIN) Sperm motility (31) EP055 EPPIN inhibitor Significant reduction in sperm motility reduce through decreasing sperm internal pH and rapid calcium levels (59, 60) Preclinical study
CDB-4022 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activation in Sertoli-germ cell junction Inhibits the mature sperm (61) Reversible decrease in sperm production with no apparent side effects (61)
5. Sertoli cell Sperm maturation
(61-63) Indazole carboxylic acid derivatives such as Gamendazole, H2-gamendazole, and Adjudin Disorder of Sertoli cell adhesive junction protein In rats treated orally with fertility was inhibited by H2-gamendazole in rat (62) The effect is reversible at low-drug doses, and irreversible at higher doses. Adjudin was conjugated to the recombinant FSH binding fragment to specifically target the testicular germ cell-Sertoli germ cell junction (63)
6. Testis-specific serine/threonine kinases (TSSK) Spermatogenesis and sperm function (53) GSK2163632 A TSSK2 inhibitor Loss of fertility in mice (53) It is necessary to identify selective molecules in inhibiting TSSK2 because this compound can inhibit other kinases than TSSK2. Inconsistent side effects was leaded by the nonselective action of this molecule (53)
7. CatSper Capacitation, hyperactivation of motility, and the acrosome reaction (54) Nifedipine Calcium channel blocker (54) Epididymal sperm counts, motility, and fertility of male BALB/c mice significantly decreased (54)
Name Function Name Role Response
8. Vasopression receptor Sperm count and motility (64) Deamino [Cys 1, D-ArgS] vasopressin (dDAVP) Vasopressin receptor (AVPR2) agonist (64) Decreased intracellular pH, PKA substrates, sperm motility, and increased Ca2+ concentration (64)
9. Actin-related protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) Sperm motility and capacitation (65) CK-636 Arp2/3 complex antagonist This molecule induced hyper-activated motility and acrosomal reaction, besides that spermatozoa were inhibited by intracellular calcium and tyrosine phosphorylation levels (65) Reduced fertilization and embryo development in the highest concentration of CK-636, but after treatment, fertilization significantly increased, whereas embryonic development significantly decreased (65)
10. Na, K-ATPase (NKA) Sperm motility (66) Ouabain Inhibitor of NKA activity (66) Reduction in sperm motility (66)
11. Ca-ATPase of the plasma membrane (PMCA) Sperm motility (66) Amiloride Inhibitor of PMCA activity (66) Reduction in sperm motility (66)
12. Na(+)/Ca (2) (+)-exchanger (NCX) Sperm motility (66) Eosin Inhibitor of NCX activity (66) Reduction in sperm motility (66)
13. Na(+)/H(+)-exchanger (NHE) Sperm motility (66) KB-R7943 Inhibitor of NHE activity (66) Reduction in sperm motility (66)
14. Dynein-ATPase activity Sperm motility (66) Acidic pH and micromolar concentrations of Ca2+ Inhibitor of Dynein-ATPase activity (66) Inhibition of sperm motility through higher cytosolic H(+) and Ca (2) (+) (66)
15. α1-adrenoceptor Contribute to ejaculation (67) Tamsulosin, prazosin α1-adrenoceptor antagonist (67) Decreased in male fertility, mating uninhibited and reversible libido (67) It causes an increase in preimplantation losses and a significant decrease in ejaculatory competence (67)
16. Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake Control sperm transit time (68) Sibutramine Non-selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (68) Reduced sperm quality (68)
17. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, spermatogenic (GAPDHS) Spermatogenesis (69) (S)-α-chlorohydrin (SACH) GAPDHS inhibitor Disturbed spermatogenesis through blocking the cAMP/PKA pathway in sperm (69)
18. Adenylyl cyclase-10 (ADCY10) The primary enzyme responsible for the production of cAMP in sperm (70) CE (2HE) KH7 DIDS ASI-8 Bithionol LRE1 S-Allylcysteine (sAC) inhibitors Decreased male fertility through reduced sperm motility and capacitation (70) The correlation between dominant absorptive hypercalciuria and ADCY10 has not slowed the development and optimization of ADCY inhibitors as nonhormonal contraceptives (70)
WIN18.446: N,N'-1,8-Octanediylbis (2,2-dichloroacetamide), BMS-189453: (4-[(1E)-2-(5,6-Dihydro-5,5-dimethyl-8-phenyl-2-naphthalenyl)ethenyl]-benzoic acid, JQ1: ((S)-tert-butyl 2-(4-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,3,9-trimethyl-6H-thieno[3,2-f,1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a,1,4]diazepin-6-yl)acetate), RU1968: ((1R,3aR,3bR,9bR,11aR)-1-[(1R)-1- { [2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amino } ethyl]-11a-methyl-1H,2H,3H,3aH,3bH,4H,5H,9bH,10H,11H,11aH-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-7-ol)