User:Zanetaszpakowski/Chemosterilant

Over-populated free roaming species can pose a large problem for society. Certain methods of population control include surgical castration, however a great number of societies have recently imposed restrictions on this form of sterilizing, due to ethical reasons and animal welfare legislations. There is a possibility of many complications, including bleeding, infection, and risks of anesthesia. So, other forms of sterilization have been imposed, known as chemosterilants.

Some examples of chemosterilants include CaCl2 and zinc gluconate. These are specifically known as necrosis-inducing agents, which result in the degeneration of cells in the testes, resulting in infertility. These kinds of chemicals are generally injected into male reproductive organs, such as the testes, vas deferent, or epididymis. When injected, they induce azoospermia, which is the degeneration of the sperm cells normally found in the semen. If no sperm cells are present, reproduction can no longer occur.

There is, however, one complication that results from the use of necrosis-inducing agents. A lot of animals generally exhibit an inflammatory response directly after the injection. To avoid the pain and discomfort associated with necrosis-inducing agents, another form of sterilization was being studied, known as apoptosis inducing agents. If cells are signaled to perform apoptosis rather than being eliminated by a foreign substance, this will result in no inflammation in the area. Experiments were tested using mice in vitro and ex vivo that have proved this. Using an apoptosis inducing agent, known as doxorubicin encapsulated in a nanoemulsion, and injecting it into mice, testicular cell death was observed. Inflammation was not observed in this case, however more research still needs to be conducted with these materials, as the long term impacts are unknown.

Another chemosterilant found to be effective is known as ornitrol. This chemosterilant was provided to sparrows by impregnating canary seeds, and this was used as a food source for a group of sparrows. There was a control group that was fed canary seeds without the ornitrol, and these birds laid almost twice as many eggs as group that was given ornitrol. It was deemed an effective chemosterilant in the study, however after the removal of the chemosterilant from the diet, the birds were able to lay viable eggs as soon as 1-2 weeks later.