PROJECT
MENT^®, Not Method-specific  

Animal studies were planned to address issues related to the development of MENT implants for male contraception and hormone replacement therapy. A preclinical evaluation of the bone- and muscle-sparing potential of MENT was performed in an aged orchiectomized rat model.

Rats were treated with 4, 12, or 36 µg/day of MENT via mini-osmotic pumps. Prostate weights were increased above normal in the high-dose group only. In contrast, all three MENT doses were equally bone sparing at the spine, hip, and tibia, suggesting that low doses of MENT would support bone and muscle growth without overstimulating the prostate. Additional studies are being planned to investigate whether aromatization of MENT to respective estradiol is required for bone-sparing effects of MENT.

Also included under this project is radioimmunoassay of serum samples for MENT for clinical trials by the Population Council's International Committee for Contraception Research.

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Population Council researchers

Narender Kumar

Non-Council collaborators

Dirk Vanderschueren, Katrien Venken (Katholeike Universiteit Leuven, Belgium)

Donors

The Lita Annenberg Hazen Foundation

The George J. Hecht Fund

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

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