Dandelion &Tripterygium Extracts May Can Be Made Into "Molecular Condoms"

Dandelion &Tripterygium Extracts May Can Be Made Into "Molecular Condoms"

American scientists found that chemicals extracted from plants such as dandelion and tripterygium can effectively inhibit sperm mobility, and may can be used to make contraceptives.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, extracted anti-gram positive cocciidin and lupeol from dandelion roots and tripterygium wilfordii, and found that the two chemicals can inhibit sperm tail swing, so that it can not swim to the egg and get combined. They said the two chemicals act as "molecular condoms" and work at as long as a very small dosage with almost no side effects. Related researches were published in the United States "National Academy of Sciences."

"It does not damage the basic activity of the sperm, and is not harmful to the sperm cells, and the sperm can still swim but can not swing the tail vigorously because the whole channel of excitation is closed," said Polina Lyusco said,assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Researchers are now testing the effectiveness of this "molecular condom" with primate sperm. They want to be able to use both chemicals as emergency contraceptives or tapes for long-term contraception. However, they must find cost-effective ways to batch extraction of these two chemicals firstly because they are sparsely contained in the plant. Gram-positive cocci can be extracted from plants such as mangoes, dandelion roots and true aloe vera, while lupine alcohol is derived from Tripterygium.