Clinical trial NCT00194649: Glycosphingolipid Inhibition and Spermatogenesis in Man: A Pilot Study (MIG 2)
Official title: Glycosphingolipid Inhibition and Spermatogenesis in Man: A Pilot Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Contraception
Keywords: Glycosphingolipids (GSL)
Lead sponsor: University of Washington
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
First posted: 2005-09-19
Enrollment: 8
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 50
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The purpose of this research study is to help in the development of safe, effective and reversible male contraception. We are examining the impact of the drug Miglustat on sperm production in normal men.

We want to see if Miglustat will inhibit sperm production in men and act as a reversible male contraceptive, as a study in mice administered Miglustat showed a reversible inhibition of sperm production. We believe Miglustat may have some potential as a safe, reversible male contraceptive.

Detailed description: Glycosphingolipids (GSL) are a main constituent of the sperm cell membrane in mammals. Male mice deficient in enzymes involved in GSL synthesis have severely impaired fertility and knockout mice are infertile. Recently, it was demonstrated that administration to mice of an inhibitor of ceramide-specific glycosyltransferase, the first step in the biosynthetic pathway of GSL formation, resulted in reversible infertility without discernable adverse side effects. This inhibitor was Miglustat, which is an alkylated imino sugar. The impact of Miglustat therapy on human spermatogenesis is unknown. If the effects on sperm morphology and motility are similar to those observed in mice, Miglustat or other GSL inhibitors might have potential utility as non-hormonal male contraceptives.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthy male, normal lab test

Exclusion Criteria:

* Abnormal lab test, history or evidence of significant chronic or acute medical illness, previous or current ethanol or anabolic steroid abuse.

Primary outcomes:
measure: The impact of GSL inhibition on human spermatogenesis, if impairment is seen with Miglustat administration, larger contraceptive efficacy studies of Miglustat or other inhibitors of GSL's will be performed.
timeFrame: 3 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Safety
timeFrame: 3 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Seattle
country: United States
facility: University of Washington
state: Washington
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Washington
name: John Amory
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Takamiya K, Yamamoto A, Furukawa K, Zhao J, Fukumoto S, Yamashiro S, Okada M, Haraguchi M, Shin M, Kishikawa M, Shiku H, Aizawa S, Furukawa K. Complex gangliosides are essential in spermatogenesis of mice: possible roles in the transport of testosterone. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Oct 13;95(21):12147-52. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.21.12147.
citation: Ritter G, Krause W, Geyer R, Stirm S, Wiegandt H. Glycosphingolipid composition of human semen. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1987 Sep;257(2):370-8. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(87)90579-0.
citation: Fujimoto H, Tadano-Aritomi K, Tokumasu A, Ito K, Hikita T, Suzuki K, Ishizuka I. Requirement of seminolipid in spermatogenesis revealed by UDP-galactose: Ceramide galactosyltransferase-deficient mice. J Biol Chem. 2000 Jul 28;275(30):22623-6. doi: 10.1074/jbc.C000200200.
citation: Honke K, Hirahara Y, Dupree J, Suzuki K, Popko B, Fukushima K, Fukushima J, Nagasawa T, Yoshida N, Wada Y, Taniguchi N. Paranodal junction formation and spermatogenesis require sulfoglycolipids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Apr 2;99(7):4227-32. doi: 10.1073/pnas.032068299. Epub 2002 Mar 26.
citation: Platt FM, Neises GR, Karlsson GB, Dwek RA, Butters TD. N-butyldeoxygalactonojirimycin inhibits glycolipid biosynthesis but does not affect N-linked oligosaccharide processing. J Biol Chem. 1994 Oct 28;269(43):27108-14.
citation: van der Spoel AC, Jeyakumar M, Butters TD, Charlton HM, Moore HD, Dwek RA, Platt FM. Reversible infertility in male mice after oral administration of alkylated imino sugars: a nonhormonal approach to male contraception. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Dec 24;99(26):17173-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.262586099. Epub 2002 Dec 11.
citation: Beutler E. Gaucher disease. Curr Opin Hematol. 1997 Jan;4(1):19-23. doi: 10.1097/00062752-199704010-00004.
citation: Amory JK, Muller CH, Page ST, Leifke E, Pagel ER, Bhandari A, Subramanyam B, Bone W, Radlmaier A, Bremner WJ. Miglustat has no apparent effect on spermatogenesis in normal men. Hum Reprod. 2007 Mar;22(3):702-7. doi: 10.1093/humrep/del414. Epub 2006 Oct 25.