Abstract:
The use of phenothiazine 5-oxide drugs by injecting or introducing such drugs directly into the uterus is disclosed as a means of preventing pregnancy after intercourse has occurred. Various means of introducing such drugs are disclosed, such as by mixing such drugs with jelly carriers, foam carriers, or paraffin oil.

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 398,847 filed 7-14-82, now abandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 253,567 filed 7-6-81, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,577; which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 155,800 filed 5-30-80, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,446. 
     The present invention relates to a method of preventing pregnancy. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of calmodulin binding drugs as a means to prevent pregnancy after intercourse by injecting such drugs into the uterus. 
     Presently, there is no effective method or product known for preventing conception or pregnancy after sexual intercourse has occurred, especially after an hour or more has elapsed after intercourse. For the purpose of this application pregnancy is intended to be defined as the implantation of a fertilized egg to the uterus. 
     Currently, in cases of rape or other cases of intercourse where pregnancy is unwanted, other than using douches or other normally ineffective methods to attempt to prevent conception, the normal practice is to wait to see whether the signs of pregnancy occur and, if so, have an abortion if the pregnancy is to be terminated. 
     Drugs that are capable of binding with calmodulin only in the presence of calcium are known as calmodulin binding drugs. Psychoactive drugs constitute one class of calmodulin binding drugs. Other known calmodulin binding drugs include the class of phenothiazine 5-oxide drugs, which are described herein. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention comprises the use of calmodulin binding drugs to prevent pregnancy. The introduction of such drugs into the uterus can be accomplished by normal clinical methods, such as injection by way of the vaginal tract, through the cervix and into the uterus. Such treatment is quick and simple; at least as simple as the currently used procedure for PAP Smears. By introduction of an effective amount of concentration of one or a combination of calmodulin binding drugs into the uterus prior to the implantation of a fertilized egg to the wall of the uterus, pregnancy will be prevented. Calmodulin binding drugs in the uterus will either prevent conception, if it has not yet taken place, or embryonic development of a fertilized egg prior to and necessary for implantation. Since implantation normally does not occur for several days after conception, the present invention may be used effectively for a significant period of time after intercourse, perhaps up to three or four days later. 
     The present invention does not involve the killing of the sperm, but instead directly and specifically blocks the physiological process of conception and embryonic development. It has been shown in the past few years that there is a regulatory protein known as calmodulin, found in all cells of higher organisms and which is the key to the control of a wide variety of physiological processes. We have found that calmodulin is involved in triggering the activation of mammalian spermatozoa, a prerequisite to the fertilization process, as well as in triggering the early events of ovum development after fertilization has occurred. Calmodulin is a calcium binding protein, which means that when calcium is bound to the protein the resulting calcium-protein complex turns on a variety of cellular processes including spermatozoan or ovum activation. We have found that calmodulin binding drugs inhibit the calmodulin function, and, as a result, use of such drugs will prevent the activation of spermatozoa and will prevent embryonic development following fertilization. 
     Calmodulin binding drugs are drugs that will bind tightly to calmodulin only in the presence of calcium. The binding of these drugs to calmodulin results in the inhibition of calmodulin function. 
     The use of an effective calmodulin binding drug in the uterus to prevent pregnancy has a number of advantages. First, it is extremely effective since the specific binding of the drug to calmodulin would turn off spermatozoan or ovum activation and embryonic development and thus prevent pregnancy. Experimental evidence has demonstrated that the phenothiazine drugs penetrate the spermatozoan membranes within seconds and concentrate in the region of the cell occupied by calmodulin. Second, there will be no expected side effects since the drug would not be used internally and since low concentrations will be very effective. Third, the effectiveness of an application may last for hours due to the stability of these drugs. 
     Known calmodulin binding drugs include the class of phenothiazine 5-oxide compounds, which are described by the following chemical structure: ##STR1## where R 1  is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkyl-NH 2 , alkyl-N-H-alkyl, alkyl-N-dialkyl, alkyl-N-heterocyclic, and alkyl-N-heterocyclic-aklyl; and where R 2  is selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, Br, F, CF 3 , SCF 3 , SO 2  CF 3 , SO 2  N(CH 3 ) 2 , S-alkyl, CO-alkyl, and COO-alkyl. 
     Some specific examples of phenothiazine 5-oxide drugs include: 
     (a) chlorpromazine 5-oxide: ##STR2## 
     (b) 2-Trifluoromethyl-N-10 (3&#39;-proprioramino) phenothiazine 5oxide: ##STR3## 
     (c) 10-aminopropyl phenothiazine 5-oxide: ##STR4## 
     (d) phenothiazine 5-oxide: ##STR5## 
     The phenothiazine 5-oxides differ from the psychoactive drugs, such as phenothiazine, because of the oxygen attached to the sulfur in the 5-position. Compounds with this characteristic do not exhibit the characteristic of psychoactive drugs. 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a buffered two percent concentration of chlorpromazine 5-oxide in paraffin oil, introduced into the uterus in sufficient quantity and under known methods within six hours after sexual intercourse has occurred and allowed to remain therein.