Population Council Projects | Determining the Safety of Sexual Lubricants

PROJECT
Determining the Safety of Sexual Lubricants

Surveys indicate that men and women who have rectal intercourse use lubricants. Population Council researchers have previously demonstrated that spermicides containing nonoxynol-9 increase the probability of infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) in mice when the spermicide is delivered rectally prior to introducing the virus into the rectum. Council research also has demonstrated that these products cause sloughing of the protective layer of epithelial cells from the human rectum, a condition that may increase susceptibility to infection by HIV and other pathogens. These findings raise concerns that some commercially available sexual lubricants may enhance the probability of infection by sexually transmitted pathogens if used during rectal sex.

To further determine the relative safety of sexual lubricants that are available at drugstores, adult stores, and on the Web, Council biomedical researchers employ cell cultures and animals. To determine the relative toxicity, Council researchers add different products to cell cultures that are derived from the human colon. The researchers then determine the percentage of cells that are killed by the product. Researchers estimate the degree to which lubricants cause cell sloughing in mice by counting the number of cells that are sloughed following rectal insertion of the product. In mice, researchers assay the degree to which a product enhances or decreases infection by inserting the product in the rectum of mice and then determining the percentage of mice that become infected following rectal administration of HSV.

Two of the lubricants tested, KY Plus and DeLUBE, were considerably more toxic, caused more cell sloughing, and enhanced HSV infection as compared to saline controls (abstract). Council scientists are currently studying additional sexual lubricants and are hopeful that findings will help advise users which lubricants may be safest for use during rectal intercourse.

The field of rectal safety in humans is in its infancy, and it is uncertain whether the assays that are being used are sufficiently sensitive to detect minor differences among different products. With time, advances in methods for clinical evaluation may lead to a better understanding of which products are relatively safe and which cell and animal assays are likely to be most predictive of the safety situation in humans.

Location

New York, USA

Duration

2000–ongoing

Population Council researchers

David M. Phillips, Robin Maguire, Kristin Sudol

Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2006
Phillips, David M. “Safety of rectal lubricants,” presentation to the International Rectal Microbicide Working Group, Chicago, Illinois, 27 February. (offsite PDF)

2004
Sudol, Kristin M. and David M. Phillips. "Relative safety of sexual lubricants for rectal intercourse," Sexually Transmitted Diseases 31(6): 346–349. (abstract) (offsite full text)

2000
Phillips, David M., Clark L. Taylor, Vanaja R. Zacharopoulos, and Robin A. Maguire. “Nonoxynol-9 causes rapid exfoliation of sheets of rectal epithelium,” Contraception 62(3): 149–154. (abstract)