一种男女通用的避孕药即将问世。

A breakthrough in the understanding of the biology of sperm could lead to a unisex version of the Pill, US government-funded scientists said.

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。

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.

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。

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

这种名为“ABHD2”的蛋白质能使精子“快马加鞭”，冲向卵子。

男女通用避孕药即将问世

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

因此，阻止此蛋白质的生成能够避免卵子受精。

Dr 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 research the egg.’

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的结合，这为避孕提供了一种新方式。”

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

美国加州大学伯克利分校的研究者梅丽莎·米勒也指出：“对于研制男女通用避孕药，我们终于有了一个明确的方向，这是非常棒的。”

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

理论上看，这种避孕药男女皆可服用。这意味着男性也可以承担避孕义务。

Conversely, a drug that enhances the protein may help infertile couples have children of their own, the journal Science reports.

《科学》杂志称，反过来看，如果有药物能够促进ABHD2蛋白质的生成，就能帮助难以生育的夫妇拥有属于自己的孩子。

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.

虽然半个多世纪以来，女性一直可以通过口服避孕药避孕，但人类对于男性避孕药的探索却始终毫无进展。

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.

女性每月排出一枚卵子，而健康男性每秒会释放1000个精子，这其中只有一个能与卵子结合。

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.

不过，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；也会有女性怀疑该避孕药是否真的管用。

Professor Mike Wyllie, an expert in drug development and male sexual health, said: ‘This study has allowed understanding of the control of male fertility to leapfrog, or at least equal, our knowledge of the female reproductive system.

药物开发与男性性健康专家迈克·怀利教授说：“通过这项研究，我们在控制男性生殖能力方面有了巨大进步；或者可以说，我们在这方面的研究成果终于得以与女性生殖系统的研究比肩。

‘This can only be good in terms of developing drugs for both conception and contraception.

“不管是针对避孕还是受孕，这项研究都是有益无害的。”

‘A contraceptive pill that could be taken by either partner would have a major positive impact on the relationship, where more often than not the only choice of medication must be taken by the female.’

“这种男女通用的避孕药对融洽配偶双方关系有着十分积极的影响，因为目前的避孕方式通常是女方服用避孕药。”

The news comes after US scientists announced they have made progress in developing a male contraceptive with no side effects.

在这一研究成果发布前，还有美国科学家宣布，他们在无副作用的男性避孕药开发中已取得进展。

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.

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的年会上宣布她即将成功。

She said she was trying to make changes to the pill to make it more palatable for men.

她表示，她一直在尝试改进这种避孕药，使之更适合男性服用。

She said: 'It would have to be soluble so it could be taken by mouth. It would start working fairly quickly and it wouldn't diminish libido. It would be safe even if taken for decades.

她说：“这种避孕药必须可溶性强，才能口服使用；它需要很快发挥效用，而且对性欲不能有影响；同时它要有安全保证，适合数十年长期服用。”

'And because some users would eventually want to have children, its impact on fertility would be reversible, with no lingering ill effects on sperm or embryos.'

“因为有些服用者最后可能还是会想要孩子，所以该药物的作用必须是可消除的，对精子或受精卵不能有任何遗留性的副作用。”

Her research was sparked by a study published last year, which identified an enzyme used by sperm to get inside the egg.

她的研究基于去年出版的另一项研究：精子中存在这样一种酶，它能促进精子与卵子的结合。