Quantitative evaluation of the spermicidal potencies of vaginal contraceptives with a transmembrane migration method

The spermicidal potencies of four vaginal contraceptives, namely Delfen cream, Samtol tablet, Lorophyn suppository and Ortho-Gynol jelly were compared using a transmembrane migration method which measured the proportion of sperm that moved from a semen-drug mixture across a Nuclepore membrane with 5 micron pores into phosphate buffer. The concentration-response curves of all preparations were parallel. The maximal dilutions that decreased sperm motility to 50% of control for Delfen, Samtol, Lorophyn and Ortho-Gynol were 240, 160, 75 and 35 respectively. The trans-membrane migration method is a simple, reproducible and quantitative test for evaluating the spermicidal potencies of vaginal contraceptives.