THE narcotic leaves of the khat plant, banned as an illegal drug in some countries, might help boost fertility.
Khat contains a stimulant called cathinone. It breaks down into cathine and norephedrine, compounds which are similar to amphetamines and adrenalin. When Lynn Fraser鈥檚 team at King鈥檚 College London placed mouse sperm in cathine, norephedrine, adrenalin or noradrenaline, they found all four accelerated the final stage of sperm development.
Cathine has the same effect on human sperm. What鈥檚 more, it helps prevent the sperm head prematurely releasing the enzymes needed to penetrate an egg, but does not interfere with the normal process.
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鈥淚 certainly wouldn鈥檛 advocate anyone going out and chewing khat leaves,鈥� says Fraser. But cathine could be turned into an over-the-counter pill that women, and possibly men, could use to boost fertility. 鈥淎nything that reduces the need to go for assisted reproduction would be valuable,鈥� says Fraser.
