A contraceptive pill that could be taken by men as well as women could be on the horizon.

A breakthrough in the understanding of the biology of sperm could lead to a unisex version of the pill, U.S. government-funded scientists said. They have identified a protein in sperm that gives it the energy it needs to power towards the egg and break its way into it.

As the researchers put it, the ABHD2 protein allows the tail to “crack like a whip” and “power kick” its way into the egg.

Therefore, blocking this protein could prevent the sperm from fertilizing the egg.

Stuart Moss of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study, said, “Developing new compounds that block ABHD2 ultimately may yield new contraceptive methods that prevent sperm from reaching the egg.”

University of California, Berkeley researcher Melissa Miller added, “What is really cool is that we have an actual target for unisex contraceptive development.”

Theoretically, such a pill could be taken by either sex, allowing men to take a greater share of the burden of contraception.

Conversely, a drug that enhances the protein may help infertile couples have children of their own, the journal Science reports. While women have had access to oral contraceptives for more than half a century, the quest for a male pill has been thwarted by biology.

Whereas a woman normally releases one egg per month, a healthy man makes 1,000 sperm with every heartbeat — and just one is needed for conception.

There are also concerns over whether men would be willing to take a drug that could be perceived as affecting their masculinity — and whether women would trust them to take it. The news came after U.S. scientists announced they have made progress in developing a male contraceptive with no side effects. Professor Gunda Gerog of the Minnesota University has been making tiny adjustments to existing attempts at a male pill, and told the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting she was very close.

   一种男女通用的避孕药即将问世。

    由政府资助的美国科学家团队近日宣布，他们在精子生物学领域的研究获得重大突破。以此为基础，他们可以开发出一种男女通用的避孕药。他们发现，精子中有一种蛋白质负责提供其游向卵子并与之结合所需的能量。

    这种名为“ABHD2”的蛋白质能使精子“快马加鞭”，冲向卵子。

    因此，阻止此蛋白质的生成能够避免卵子受精。

    美国国立卫生研究院为此项研究提供了资金。该研究院的斯图尔特· 莫斯博士表示：“发明一种能够阻碍ABHD2蛋白质生成的新化合物能够阻止精子与卵子结合，这为避孕提供了一种新方式。”

    美国加州大学伯克利分校的研究员梅丽莎· 米勒也指出：“对于研制男女通用避孕药我们终于有了明确方向，这是非常棒的。”

    理论上看，这种避孕药男女皆可服用。这意味着男性也可承担避孕义务。《科学》杂志称，反过来看，如果有药物能促进ABHD2蛋白质的生成，就能帮助不孕夫妇拥有自己的孩子。虽然半个多世纪来女性一直可以通过口服避孕药避孕，但由于身体机能的不同男性避孕药的探索却始终毫无进展。

    女性每月排出一枚卵子，而健康男性次心跳能制造1000个精子，只要一个就能让女性受孕。研究者还是有其他顾虑，比如男性是否愿意服用，因为这种药物可能会被认为影响男性特征；女性也会怀疑男人是否真的服了避孕药。

    在这一研究成果发布前，还有美国科学家宣布他们开发无副作用的男性避孕药已取得进展。美国明尼苏达大学的刚达· 格奥尔格教授一直在对男性避孕药的现有成果进行微调，并于近日在美国化学学会年会上宣布她已接近成功。

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【避孕的】bìyùn de contraceptive preventing conception or impregnation by various drugs, techniques, or devices

【即将出现】jíjiāng chūxiàn on the horizon soon to happen