The spermicide nonoxynol-9 does not inactivate papillomavirus

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Microbiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Vaginal spermicides offer contraception and can inactivate some sexually transmitted pathogens.
• Nonoxynol-9 is a common spermicide ingredient with a known detergent effect on pathogen membranes and envelopes.
• Papillomaviruses are linked to cervical cancer, and spermicides are anecdotally linked to protection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of nonoxynol-9 against specific viruses relevant to sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer.
• To determine if nonoxynol-9 inactivates bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1), BK virus (BKV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV).

Main Methods:

• Testing a 5% nonoxynol-9 concentration.
• Assessing the reduction in transforming activity of BPV-1 (a nonenveloped virus).
• Evaluating the infectivity of BKV (a nonenveloped virus) and CMV (an enveloped virus).

Main Results:

• Nonoxynol-9 significantly reduced the infectivity of cytomegalovirus (CMV), an enveloped virus.
• Nonoxynol-9 did not significantly affect the transforming activity of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) or the infectivity of BK virus (BKV), both nonenveloped viruses.
• The findings indicate a differential effect of nonoxynol-9 based on viral structure.

Conclusions:

• Vaginal spermicides, specifically nonoxynol-9, do not appear to inactivate nonenveloped papillomaviruses.
• The protective effect of spermicides against cervical cancer is unlikely to be due to direct inactivation of human papillomaviruses.
• Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind any observed protective effects of spermicides against cervical cancer.