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Howard SA, Benhabbour SR. Non-Hormonal Contraception. J Clin Med 2023; 12:4791. [PMID: 37510905 PMCID: PMC10381146 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12144791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
While hormonal contraceptives are efficacious and available in several forms for women, perception of safety and concern over side effects are a deterrent for many. Existing non-hormonal contraceptives include permanent sterilization, copper intrauterine devices (IUDs), chemical/physical barriers such as spermicides and condoms, as well as traditional family planning methods including withdrawal and the rhythm method. Individuals who wish to retain their fertility in the future can achieve highest adherence and efficacy with long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs), though there is only one, the copper IUD, that is non-hormonal. As rates of unintended pregnancies remain high with existing contraceptive options, it is becoming increasingly attractive to develop novel pregnancy prevention methods for both women and men. Non-hormonal contraceptives can target a variety of critical reproductive processes discussed here. This review focuses on identified non-hormonal contraceptive targets and subsequent drug candidates in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Anne Howard
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Soumya Rahima Benhabbour
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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2
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Gupta SK. Zona pellucida glycoproteins: Relevance in fertility and development of contraceptive vaccines. Am J Reprod Immunol 2023; 89:e13535. [PMID: 35249246 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian zona pellucida (ZP) is composed of three to four glycoproteins, which plays an important role during fertilization. Mutations in the genes encoding zona proteins are reported in women with empty follicle syndrome, degenerated oocytes and those with an abnormal or no ZP further emphasizing their relevance during fertility. Immunization with either native or recombinant ZP glycoproteins/proteins leads to curtailment of fertility in various animal species. Observed infertility is frequently associated with ovarian pathology characterized by follicular atresia and degenerative changes in ZP, which may be due to oophoritogenic T cell epitope(s) within ZP glycoproteins. To avoid ovarian dystrophy, B cell epitopes of ZP glycoproteins have been mapped by using bio-effective monoclonal antibodies. Immunization with the immunogens encompassing the mapped B cell epitopes by and large led to amelioration of follicular atresia. However, their use for human application will require more rigorous research to establish their safety and reversibility of the contraceptive effect. Nonetheless, to minimize human-animal conflicts, ZP-based contraceptive vaccines have been used successfully in the population management of free-ranging animal species such as feral horses, white-tailed deer and elephants. To control zoonotic diseases, attempts are also underway to control the population of other animal species including stray dogs, which acts as one of the major vectors for the rabies virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satish K Gupta
- Basic Medical Sciences Division, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
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3
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Moros-Nicolás C, Chevret P, Izquierdo-Rico MJ, Holt WV, Esteban-Díaz D, López-Béjar M, Martínez-Nevado E, Nilsson MA, Ballesta J, Avilés M. Composition of marsupial zona pellucida: a molecular and phylogenetic approach. Reprod Fertil Dev 2019; 30:721-733. [PMID: 29162213 DOI: 10.1071/rd16519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The zona pellucida (ZP) is an extracellular matrix that surrounds mammalian oocytes. In eutherians it is formed from three or four proteins (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3, ZP4). In the few marsupials that have been studied, however, only three of these have been characterised (ZP2, ZP3, ZP4). Nevertheless, the composition in marsupials may be more complex, since a duplication of the ZP3 gene was recently described in one species. The aim of this work was to elucidate the ZP composition in marsupials and relate it to the evolution of the ZP gene family. For that, an in silico and molecular analysis was undertaken, focusing on two South American species (gray short-tailed opossum and common opossum) and five Australian species (brushtail possum, koala, Bennett's wallaby, Tammar wallaby and Tasmanian devil). This analysis identified the presence of ZP1 mRNA and mRNA from two or three paralogues of ZP3 in marsupials. Furthermore, evidence for ZP1 and ZP4 pseudogenes in the South American subfamily Didelphinae and for ZP3 pseudogenes in two marsupials is provided. In conclusion, two different composition models are proposed for marsupials: a model with four proteins (ZP1, ZP2 and ZP3 (two copies)) for the South American species and a model with six proteins (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3 (three copies) and ZP4) for the Australasian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Moros-Nicolás
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia 30100, Spain
| | - Pascale Chevret
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - María José Izquierdo-Rico
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia 30100, Spain
| | | | - Daniela Esteban-Díaz
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia 30100, Spain
| | - Manel López-Béjar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Eva Martínez-Nevado
- Veterinary Department, Zoo-Aquarium Madrid, Casa de Campo s/n., Madrid 28011, Spain
| | - Maria A Nilsson
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main D-60325, Germany
| | - José Ballesta
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia 30100, Spain
| | - Manuel Avilés
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum and IMIB, Murcia 30100, Spain
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Witt RR, Rodger JC. Recent advances in tools and technologies for monitoring and controlling ovarian activity in marsupials. Theriogenology 2017; 109:58-69. [PMID: 29254685 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2017.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Components of assisted reproduction technologies (ART), such as sperm cryopreservation, artificial insemination, superovulation and pouch young surrogacy, have been developed for a range of Australian and American marsupials. However, methods to effectively control ovarian function, arguably the key limiting factors in applying and integrating ART as a practical tool in conservation management, remain poorly developed. This is largely due to unique characteristics of the marsupial corpus luteum and its failure to respond to agents used to synchronize ovarian function in eutherian mammals. This paper presents an overview of relevant aspects of marsupial reproductive biology across marsupial taxonomic groups including information on the long-established technique of removal of suckling young to activate ovarian cycles. Ovarian monitoring tools for marsupials are reviewed and their usefulness for ART assessed (laparotomy, hormone cycling, vaginal cytology, laparoscopy and ultrasonography). We also discuss promising recent work examining the potential of manipulating hypothalamic-pituitary function using GnRH agonists and antagonists as the basis of ovarian control (female synchronization) strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan R Witt
- FAUNA Research Alliance, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - John C Rodger
- FAUNA Research Alliance, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
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Shrestha A, Srichandan S, Minhas V, Panda AK, Gupta SK. Canine zona pellucida glycoprotein-3: Up-scaled production, immunization strategy and its outcome on fertility. Vaccine 2015; 33:133-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 09/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Kaur K, Prabha V. Immunocontraceptives: new approaches to fertility control. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:868196. [PMID: 25110702 PMCID: PMC4119744 DOI: 10.1155/2014/868196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The rapidly increasing global population has bowed the attention of family planning and associated reproductive health programmes in the direction of providing a safe and reliable method which can be used to limit family size. The world population is estimated to exceed a phenomenal 10 billion by the year 2050 A.D., thus presenting a real jeopardy of overpopulation with severe implications for the future. Despite the availability of contraceptive methods, there are over one million elective abortions globally each year due to unintended pregnancies, having devastating impact on reproductive health of women worldwide. This highlights the need for the development of newer and improved contraceptive methods. A novel contraceptive approach that is gaining substantial attention is "immunocontraception" targeting gamete production, gamete outcome, or gamete function. Amongst these, use of sperm antigens (gamete function) seems to be an exciting and feasible approach. However, the variability of immune response and time lag to attain titer among vaccinated individuals after active immunization has highlighted the potential relevance of preformed antibodies in this league. This review is an attempt to analyze the current status and progress of immunocontraceptive approaches with respect to their establishment as a future fertility control agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiranjeet Kaur
- Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Vijay Prabha
- Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
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Production of tag-free recombinant fusion protein encompassing promiscuous T cell epitope of tetanus toxoid and dog zona pellucida glycoprotein-3 for contraceptive vaccine development. Mol Biotechnol 2012; 54:853-62. [PMID: 23242635 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-012-9634-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Affinity tags can interfere in various physicochemical properties and immunogenicity of the recombinant proteins. In the present study, tag-free recombinant fusion protein encompassing promiscuous T cell epitope of tetanus toxoid [TT; amino acid (aa) residues 830-844] followed by dilysine linker and dog zona pellucida glycoprotein-3 (ZP3; aa residues 23-348) (TT-KK-ZP3) was expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein, expressed as inclusion bodies (IBs), was purified by isolation of IBs, processed to remove host cell proteins, followed by solubilization and refolding. A specific 39 kDa protein including ZP3 was identified by SDS-PAGE. CD spectra showed the presence of α-helices and β-sheets, and fluorescent spectroscopy revealed emission maxima of 265 A.U. at 339 nm for refolded protein and showed red shift in the presence of 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. Immunization of inbred FvB/J female mice with purified recombinant TT-KK-ZP3 (25 μg/animal) led to generation of high antibody titers against the recombinant protein. The antibodies reacted specifically with ZP matrix surrounding mouse oocytes. Immunized mice showed significant reduction in fertility as compared to the control group. The studies described herein provide a simple method to produce and purify tag-free recombinant protein for the development of a contraceptive vaccine.
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Prediction of B-cell linear epitopes with a combination of support vector machine classification and amino acid propensity identification. J Biomed Biotechnol 2011; 2011:432830. [PMID: 21876642 PMCID: PMC3163029 DOI: 10.1155/2011/432830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2011] [Accepted: 06/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Epitopes are antigenic determinants that are useful because they induce B-cell antibody production and stimulate T-cell activation. Bioinformatics can enable rapid, efficient prediction of potential epitopes. Here, we designed a novel B-cell linear epitope prediction system called LEPS, Linear Epitope Prediction by Propensities and Support Vector Machine, that combined physico-chemical propensity identification and support vector machine (SVM) classification. We tested the LEPS on four datasets: AntiJen, HIV, a newly generated PC, and AHP, a combination of these three datasets. Peptides with globally or locally high physicochemical propensities were first identified as primitive linear epitope (LE) candidates. Then, candidates were classified with the SVM based on the unique features of amino acid segments. This reduced the number of predicted epitopes and enhanced the positive prediction value (PPV). Compared to four other well-known LE prediction systems, the LEPS achieved the highest accuracy (72.52%), specificity (84.22%), PPV (32.07%), and Matthews' correlation coefficient (10.36%).
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Cross ML, Fleming SB, Cowan PE, Scobie S, Whelan E, Prada D, Mercer AA, Duckworth JA. Vaccinia virus as a vaccine delivery system for marsupial wildlife. Vaccine 2011; 29:4537-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.04.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2011] [Revised: 04/19/2011] [Accepted: 04/25/2011] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Gupta SK, Srinivasan VA, Suman P, Rajan S, Nagendrakumar SB, Gupta N, Shrestha A, Joshi P, Panda AK. Contraceptive vaccines based on the zona pellucida glycoproteins for dogs and other wildlife population management. Am J Reprod Immunol 2011; 66:51-62. [PMID: 21501280 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2011.01004.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Zona pellucida (ZP) glycoproteins, by virtue of their critical role in fertilization, have been proposed as candidate antigens for the development of contraceptive vaccines. In this review, the potential of a ZP-based contraceptive vaccine for the management of wildlife population, with special reference to street dogs, is discussed. Immunization of various animal species, including female dogs, with native porcine ZP led to inhibition of fertility, which was associated with the ovarian dysfunction. Immunization of female dogs with Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant dog ZP glycoprotein-3 (ZP3) either coupled to diphtheria toxoid or expressed as fusion protein with 'promiscuous' T non-B-cell epitope of tetanus toxoid also led to inhibition of fertility. To improve the contraceptive efficacy of ZP-based contraceptive vaccine, various groups are working on improving the immunogen, use of DNA vaccine as prime-boost strategy, and delivering the zona proteins/peptides presented on either virus-like particles or entrapped in microsphere. Host-specific live vectors such as ectromelia virus and cytomegalovirus have also been used to deliver mouse ZP3 in mice. Various studies show the enormous potential of the ZP-based vaccine for the management of wildlife population, where permanent sterilization may be desirable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satish K Gupta
- Reproductive Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India.
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Cross ML, Zheng T, Duckworth JA, Cowan PE. Could recombinant technology facilitate the realisation of a fertility-control vaccine for possums? NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2010.541468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- ML Cross
- a Landcare Research – Manaaki Whenua , Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - T Zheng
- b AgResearch , Hopkirk Research Institute , Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - JA Duckworth
- a Landcare Research – Manaaki Whenua , Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - PE Cowan
- c Landcare Research , Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Gupta SK, Gupta N, Suman P, Choudhury S, Prakash K, Gupta T, Sriraman R, Nagendrakumar S, Srinivasan V. Zona pellucida-based contraceptive vaccines for human and animal utility. J Reprod Immunol 2011; 88:240-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2011.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2010] [Revised: 12/26/2010] [Accepted: 01/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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