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Performance-Enhancing Drug for Sperm

작성자	김병수	등록일	2004-07-08
이미 PPAs라는 약이 정액의 양을 증가시키는 효과가 있다는 것은 알려져 있는 사실이라지만. 여기에 덧붙여서 정장의 질 향상에 상당히 고무적인 임상소식이 외국에서 회자되고 있어서 불임 의사 선생님들과 불임부부들에게 좋은 소식이 되지 않을까 해서 감히 글을 올립니다. 아프리카에서 특정 'khat' 나뭇잎을 씹는 종족이 있는데 이들을 키우는 동물들에게 먹인다고 합니다. 농부들에 따르면, 동물들을 키울 때 이 잎사귀를 먹이면 정말로 번식이 더 잘 된다고 합니다. 이 사실의 윈인을 보다 근본적으로 파헤치기 위해서 영국 런던의 King's College의 생식의학자인 Lynn Fraser 과 Susan Adeoya-Osiguwa 이 연구를 수행 했답니다. 이 Khat 식물의 특정 성분이 몸속에서 빠른 대사를 거쳐서 잘 알려진 PPAs (phenylpropanolamines)가 된답니다. 정자 생성력이 증가되고 정자는 나중에 자궁내에서 힘차게 헤엄치기 위해 필요한 cAMP를 더 많이 만들어 저장하더랍니다. 임신을 원하는 부부들 정말로 많은데 한번 써 보자구요... 생각보다는 부작용이 덜할 것 같은데 말입니다.. 의사 선생님! 실제로 임상에서 더 많이 쓰이게 해 주세요. 아래는 원문입니다. Performance-Enhancing Drug for Sperm 2004-06-30 The leaves of an African plant chewed for its legendary power to boost male fertility may, according to the first scientific study of its compounds, do just that. The leaves of the khat plant, cultivated in eastern Africa and the Middle East, are prized not only because their ingredient cathinone induces mild euphoria but because users believe khat increases sexual potency. Cathinone quickly breaks down in the body into compounds similar to amphetamine stimulants called phenylpropanolamines (PPAs). That explains the euphoria reported by khat chewers but not the effect on fertility. There are, however, anecdotal reports among animal breeders of khat leaves increasing animal fertility. To get to the bottom of khat's sexy reputation, Lynn Fraser and Susan Adeoya-Osiguwa, reproductive biologists at King's College London, incubated both mouse and human sperm in a solution of PPAs similar in concentration to that in the blood of khat chewers. They then tested the sperm to see if their performance was affected. PPAs turn out to be perfect sperm enhancers, the team reported here Monday at the 20th meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. PPAs sped up sperm maturation and stimulated newly mature sperm to produce more cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a small molecule required for the long swim up the uterus. As the sperm became fully mature, the researchers found, the burst of cAMP was inhibited, which is probably a good thing: Sperm would quickly burn out if cAMP was constantly stimulated. The overall effect of PPAs, says Fraser, should be an increase in the proportion of sperm in semen that have the ability to make it to the egg and fertilize it. While Fraser advises against chewing khat leaves because of side effects, including gut problems brought on by the leaves' tannins, she notes that many PPAs are already approved for other medicinal uses, so a PPA fertility drug could be right around the corner. PPAs have been known to increase the volume of ejaculation, says Rex Hess, a reproductive biologist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, but he is impressed by their direct molecular action on sperm. Hess says the compounds could be particularly useful for perking up sperm for in vitro fertilization. --JOHN BOHANNON Related sites Fraser's home page Hess's home page Science Now 6월 29일 자에서 퍼왔습니다.