β-Adrenoceptor antagonists and human sperm motility

Abstract

Abstract Several β-adrenoceptor blocking agents have been evaluated for spermicidal activity using a transmembrane migration method. The rank order of potency of the active compounds was: penbutolol > (+) - propranolol > bufuralol > (—) - alprenolol > oxprenolol > metoprolol. Atenolol, pindolol, practolol, tolamolol were without activity. The observed potencies of spermicidal activity are believed to be unrelated to β-blocking activities, and we have shown that whilst they are not predictable from lipid solubility or nonspecific membrane properties of the compound alone, both these aspects appear to play a role in this pharmacological activity.