Parsing the potential of a new male contraceptive

Abstract

In contrast to the range of contraceptives available to women, contraceptive options for men are limited to condoms or a vasectomy—thus, a pharmacological, reversible method of male contraception has been a long-standing quest in medicine. Spermatogenic-specific proteins have been pursued as potential targets, and the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family member BRDT has come to attention in two recent studies1, 2. Matzuk et al.2 have now described the effects of a small-molecule inhibitor of the BET family, JQ1, as a contraceptive in male mice. They showed that JQ1 can inhibit BRDT and is also able to cross the blood-testis barrier. JQ1 treatment had a complete contraceptive effect, and importantly, when JQ1 administration was stopped, the mice could recover permatogenesis with no obvious effects on their testes or on their offspring. We asked three experts to comment on the results of this study and their implications. © 2012 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.