Title : A novel contraceptive vaccine blocked fertilization in female mice
Abstract:
Considering the increase in the population of the pet, a non-invasive and reversible method must be developed. Contraceptive vaccine (CV) is a valuable, non-invasive and alternative method for purposeful contraception. Sperm antigens are useful target for producing CVs because of their specialized expression in sperm. In this study, a recombinant protein that contain three main sperm epitopes (Izumo, Saca3, and Ph-20) was designed and evaluated as CV to control of fertility in male mouse. The chimeric recombinant protein was expressed in E. coli and purified. Female mice were immunized with 100 µg purified protein and sera were collected to assess IgG antibodies. To evaluated the reproductive performance, immunized female mice mated with normal-fertile male mice and matting rate and number of newborns were studied.
Results showed about 66% reduction in reproduction rate which indicates the effect of the recombinant protein on the fertility of female mice. According to the obtained result, this recombinant protein deserves more extensive research on complex mammals such as dogs and cats. It seems that this structure can be effective in controlling the population of wildlife and humans.
Audience take away:
- The benefits of using contraceptive vaccine for controlling unwanted gestation.
