Forget condoms, papayas are here

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Forget condoms, papayas are here

PTI

(New Delhi, January 10)

 

WITH SCIENTISTS succeeding in isolating compounds from papaya, which

has contraceptive properties, India may become one of the first

countries to produce a plant-based oral contraceptive for men.

 

"Four compounds have been isolated from papaya seeds, which have been

found to be suitable for use as oral contraceptive", Dr N K Lohiya,

director of the school of life sciences of Rajasthan university said

at a conference on "challenges in reproductive health for the

millennium."

 

The development assumes importance as besides vasectomy - a permanent

sterilisation procedure - no safe, effective, reversible and

acceptable contraceptive method is available for men, he said.

 

The compounds, which have been isolated by a complex process of

extraction, act at the level of epidydimis, a part of male

reproductive system, by making the sperms immobile.

 

Lohia said that the university will go for patenting the compounds,

code named mcp1, mcp2, ecp1 and ecp2, once they are characterised and

their structure is known.

 

Studies have been conducted on rats and rabbits and preclinical

trials are being done on the "langur".

 

"The effects were free of toxicity as evidenced from haematological

and serum clinical parametres and reversible following withdrawal of

treatment after one-year study period" , the scientist said.

 

The libido of animals remained unaffected throughout the study

period, Lohiya said adding the compounds so far have proved to be

highly "efficacious" and withdrawal of treatment has shown fast

reversal of fertility within 15 days to a month.

 

Of the four compounds, mpc1 has shown more potency. But work is in

progress on all four, and in future combinations of these may be

tried, he claimed.

 

The project has been funded by the Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare, Lohiya said, adding permission for clinical trials may not

be difficult as the compounds are plant based.

 

The papaya-based oral contraceptive is likely to be available in five

to seven years for use, the scientist said adding once available, it

is likely to have high acceptance among men due to its herbal nature.

 

Earlier efforts to develop plant-based contraceptives have not

succeeded, lohiya said. A lot of work has been done in China where

cotton seeds and bark of tryprigium have been targetted.

 

Compound from cotton seeds was found to lower the levels of potassium

in the body and caused paralysis in one per cent of cases.

 

Tryprigium was found to have immuno-suppressive effects, he added.