Abstract
The natural response of the immune system to foreign proteins can be exploited in the development of a vaccine for control of fertility. Potential target antigens for such a vaccine include those that are found specifically on the surface of sperm and are absent from somatic tissues (reviewed by Aitken, 1982, Goldberg, 1983, Anderson and Alexander, 1983). Such antigens are uniquely suited to incorporation into a vaccine that may be applicable to both male and female use. They do not appear in the male until spermatogenesis begins, which is after the immune system has already become tolerant to “self-antigens”. Even after they appear, they are isolated from the male immune system by the blood-testes barrier. They are not found at all in female tissues. Thus these antigens can provoke antibody formation in either males or females. Furthermore, a vaccine would have the advantage over currently available contraceptive methodologies of not interfering with hormonal and metabolic functions.
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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
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Goldberg, E., Shelton, J.A. (1986). Immunosuppression of Fertility by LDH-C4 . In: Talwar, G.P. (eds) Immunological Approaches to Contraception and Promotion of Fertility. Reproductive Biology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5140-5_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5140-5_26
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