Male fertility: core chemical structure in pharmacological research.

Research in male fertility is of interest in connection with both contraception and treatment of sterility. Several compounds have been shown to inhibit fertility by various mechanisms. The most significant of them are reviewed, including some recently described indazole carboxylic acids. Concerning sterility treatment, no effective treatment is so far available, with the exception of hormonal dysfunctions. The hypothesized role of an excess of free radicals in male sterility suggests a potential therapeutic value of free radicals scavengers. In this connection, indazole derivatives appear of special interest, as some of them display an anti-denaturant activity resulting in a peculiar scavenger-like activity. Some synthetic approaches are proposed, leading to new compounds of potential interest either as male contraceptives or in the treatment of male sterility.