Nature-inspired male contraceptive and spermicidal products

• Published in: Phytochemistry reviews 2021-08, Vol.20 (4), p.797-843
• Main Authors: Hifnawy, Mohammed S., Aboseada, Mahmoud A., Hassan, Hossam M., Tohamy, Adel F., El Naggar, El Moataz B., Abdelmohsen, Usama Ramadan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternative medicine; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Bioavailability; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Birth control; Birth rate; Caryophyllene; Cervix; Chemistry/Food Science; Clinical trials; Contraception; Contraceptives; Developed countries; Drug development; Esters; Evaluation; Family planning; Fatty acids; Glycosides; Infertility; Life Sciences; Males; Microbicides; Natural products; Oleanolic acid; Organic Chemistry; Plant extracts; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Sciences; Rabbits; Safety; Saponins; Toxicity; Ursolic acid; Vagina; Xanthotoxin
• ISSN: 1568-7767; 1572-980X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11101-020-09721-5

The use of hazardous female contraceptives is still the first choice in family planning programs. Moreover, all the drugs examined to be used as infertility inducers in males or as spermicides into the cervix were not sufficiently efficient, in addition to not having complete safety. Therefore, many researchers were directed to assess complementary and alternative medicine to address these harmful effects. Accordingly, this review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of natural products alternatives in the induction of male infertility (male contraception) and/or proceeding of spermicidal action (vaginal contraception), although, that concept may be contradictory or prohibited in some developing and well-developed countries due to low birth rate problems, traditional, and religious beliefs. This study covers the literature from 1968 to 2019. In this review, we included previous controlled experiments with adult rats, mice, rabbits, monkeys and humans with clearly complete experimental criteria. The interventions were natural products derived from raw or refined plants, parts of plants or semi-synthesized compounds. The additional data such as toxicity and safety profiles, irreversibility, mechanism of actions, microbicidal activity, effective doses or concentrations, quantitative analysis in daily food and oral bioavailability, were included to identify the most promising natural products for contraception. In accordance with vaginal contraception, there were some herbal extracts and/or principles that may be used as prospective candidates after performing more pre-clinical and clinical trials. These products are acaciaside-B, Achyranthes aspera protein, xanthotoxin, oleanolic acid 3-β- d -glucuronide, ursolic acid, bivittoside D, subtilosin, Sapindus mukorossi saponins and Sapindus saponaria saponins fractions. Moreover, some products may be considered as effective and safe male contraceptives after clinical evaluation; which are NB -DNJ, NB -DGJ, β-caryophyllene, oleanolic acid, Tripterygium wilfordii glycosides, tripchlorolide, Carica papaya fatty acid esters and ZNF185-derived peptide. Generally, natural products that have high potential to be used as drug candidates concerning male and vaginal contraception are limited.