向男性避孕药更进一步(上)

A step towards a pill for men?

向男性避孕药更进一步？

How often does locker-room talk involve nuanced discussion of the various types of contraceptives available, and the merits and difficulties associated with them all?

在更衣室中细致谈论各种避孕方式，以及这些避孕方式优缺点的频率有多高？

In women's locker rooms, the answer is "surprisingly frequently".

在女更衣室，答案是“谈论非常频繁”。

In men's, "hardly ever".

而在男更衣室，“几乎从不谈论”。

Contraception has long been an overwhelmingly female issue.

长期以来，避孕一直是“当之无愧”的女性话题。

At least in part, that is because men have little to discuss.

在一定程度上，这是因为男性几乎没有什么可讨论的。

Their choice is between condoms and vasectomy.

他们的选择不是避孕套就是输精管结扎术。

Women, by contrast, may pick from a range which includes the Pill, vaginal rings, copper intrauterine devices, hormonal intrauterine devices, contraceptive sponges, cervical caps, spermicides, diaphragms, female condoms and tubal ligation.

相比之下，女性的选择包括避孕药、阴道避孕环、铜质宫内节育器、含孕激素宫内节育器、避孕海绵、子宫帽、杀精剂、避孕膜、女用安全套和输卵管结扎术。

For decades, therefore, researchers have hunted for ways to level the playing field by extending men's options.

因此，几十年来，研究人员一直在寻找为男性提供更多选择，以实现公平竞争的方法。

But none of the resulting injections, gels and hormonal pills has so far advanced beyond clinical trials.

但到目前为止，研究的所有注射类药物、凝胶和荷尔蒙药物都没能通过临床试验。

Jochen Buck and Lonny Levin, who work at Weill Cornell Medicine, in New York, have now entered a new runner into the race.

约亨·巴克和朗尼·莱文在纽约威尔·康奈尔医学院工作，现在，他们找到了一名新的参赛者。

Their candidate, rather than requiring the consistent and long-term application associated with pills and gels, is fast-acting and temporary.

这名参赛者不像药丸和凝胶一样提供长期持续性效果，而是迅速、短暂地起作用。

In a paper published in Nature Communications they show that, in mice at least, it works within half an hour, rendering the animals temporarily infertile by stopping their sperm swimming, but with no perceptible changes in their behaviour or sexual performance.

他们在发表于《自然-通讯》上的论文中表示，在小鼠身上进行试验后发现，药物在半小时内起效，通过阻止精子移动而使动物暂时不育，同时动物的行为或性表现没有明显的变化。

Importantly, within a day, their fertility returns.

重要的是，小鼠在一天之内就能恢复生育功能。

The substance concerned, TDI-11861, belongs to a class of molecules called soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) inhibitors.

这种名为TDI-11861的物质属于可溶性腺苷酸环化酶(sAC)抑制剂。

SAC itself is found in nearly every body cell.

sAC本身几乎存在于所有的体细胞中。

It is a source of a messenger molecule called cAMP, and its activity is regulated by bicarbonate ions.

它是一种名为cAMP的信使分子的来源，其活动受到碳酸氢根离子的调节。

A preponderance of those ions speeds up the rate at which sAC produces camp.

大量离子能够加快sAC产生cAMP的速度。

A dearth slows it down.

而离子的减少会减缓cAMP产生的速度。