Spermicidal bacteriocins: lacticin 3147 and subtilosin A.

Spermicidal compounds that also exhibit antimicrobial properties would be extremely attractive agents as they could be used to not only prevent unwanted pregnancy but also to combat the growing prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI). One class of compounds that are potential candidates for development of dual-acting contraceptive products are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Herein, we report preliminary studies carried out to investigate the spermicidal activity of two bacteriocins, lacticin 3147 and subtilosin A, on bovine, horse/pony, boar and rat sperm.