Ethanol Intake may Modify Gossypol Toxicosis in the Rat

Abstract

Some aspects of the toxicity of gossypol were investigated in ethanol-fed, gossypol-treated SpragueDawley rats, with and without protein malnutrition. Serum creatine phosphokinase activity was depressed in all gossypol-treated rats and gossypol caused greater decreases than ethanol in those animals that were fed the normal diet. Even though the adrenal glands were enlarged in all gossypol-treated rats, this was accompanied by depressed serum cortisol levels. Histopathological findings, including vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes and dilation of the sinusoids in the liver, atrophy and leucocytic infiltration of cardiac myofibres, vacuolation of the renal glomerulus and cellular depletion of the spleen and thymus, were most severe in the protein-malnourished, gossypol-treated rats; these were generally absent in the other groups. These findings indicated that either adequate levels of protein in the diet and/or ethanol consumption have the effect of reducing gossypol toxicity, probably by reducing the amount of gossypol available for tissue exposure through enhanced metabolism and/or clearance from the body. However, an evaluation of the metabolic pathways involved in gossypol metabolism in ethanol-fed individuals might provide a better understanding of these observations.

Chronic ethanol intake may delay the onset of gossypol-induced infertility in the male rat

“…In addition, all forms of liver disease or pathology are known to affect reproductive capacity (Galvao-Teles et al, 1983), specifically by altering the availability of NAD + for T biosynthesis (Thiel et al, 1975). In this study, it is possible that hepatocellular damage, occasioned by gossypol and severe only in LPG rats (Akingbemi & Aire, 1994;Akingbemi et al, 1997), facilitated the antispermatogenic effect of gossypol by causing a decrease in intratesticular T.…”

Molecular Cloning and Expression of cDNA Encoding the Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitor from Upland Cotton

“…Besides the important role in defense systems in cotton (Cai et al 2004;Agrawal and Karban 2000;Akingbemi et al 1996), in vitro gossypol is toxic to nonruminant animals and humans, and severely limits the use of cotton seed as a food source (Cai et al 2004;Townsend et al 2005). The mutant Xiangmian-18 is a new gland-type of upland cotton (G. hirsutum), which is bred by crossing of tetraploiddominant glandless cotton Gossypium barbadense with glanded G. hirsutum (Combet et al 2000), with character similar to delayed pigment gland morphogenesis (Zhu et al 1999), the leaves of Xiangmian-18 appear to be normal glanded, but its seed is glandless with very low gossypol levels which is below the international food standard (Zhang et al 2001).…”

Construction of cDNA library of cotton mutant (Xiangmian-18) library during gland forming stage

“…The compound can protect the plants from predation by insects, viruses, fungus, and bacteria [1][2][3]. However, it is also toxic to animals, which severely limit the use of cottonseed as food source.…”