Scientists review possibilities for contraceptive vaccines.

2003 OCT 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have published a review of contraceptive vaccines in a recent issue of Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy.

According to a study from Australia, "The control of human fertility would be revolutionized by the development of a safe, effective, long-acting contraceptive vaccine. The pursuit of this objective has involved the selection of appropriate targets within the reproductive process that are amenable to interference with antibodies. To date, three major targets have been researched."

"The zona pellucida (ZP) plays key roles in folliculogenesis, fertilization and early development, and is comprised of powerful cell-specific antigens," said Eileen A. McLaughlin and colleagues at the University of Newcastle. "The induction of infertility requires high ZP antibody titers that are difficult to maintain without inducing ovarian pathology characterized by a premature loss of primordial follicles. As a premature menopause would be a high price to pay for long-term contraception, this approach to a vaccine cannot progress until the cause of the ovarian pathology has been resolved."

"Sperm surface antigens represent another promising approach to contraceptive vaccine development," reported the investigators. "While there is some clinical data to support the likely efficacy of this strategy, none of the gamete-specific molecules characterized to date have fulfilled this promise. Anti-human chorionic gonadotropin ...