Gossypol is a phenolic compound produced by pigment glands in cotton stems, leaves, seeds, and flower buds (Gossypium spp.). Cottonseed meal is a by-product of cotton that is used for animal feeding because it is rich in oil and proteins. However, gossypol toxicity limits cottonseed use in animal feed. High concentrations of free gossypol may be responsible for acute clinical signs of gossypol poisoning which include respiratory distress, impaired body weight gain, anorexia, weakness, apathy, and death after several days. However, the most common toxic effects is the impairment of male and female reproduction. Another important toxic effect of gossypol is its interference with immune function, reducing an animal's resistance to infections and impairing the efficiency of vaccines. Preventive procedures to limit gossypol toxicity involve treatment of the cottonseed product to reduce the concentration of free gossypol with the most common treatment being exposure to heat. However, free gossypol can be released from the bound form during digestion. Agronomic selection has produced cotton varieties devoid of glands producing gossypol, but these varieties are not normally grown because they are less productive and are more vulnerable to attacks by insects.

/pdf/gossypol-toxicity-from-cottonseed-products-4lmbf9na83.pdf

Gossypol Toxicity from Cottonseed Products

Gossypol a powerful inhibitor of human spermatozoal metabolism. [Letter]

Cottonseed cake is used as source of proteins for animal feeding However, cotton seeds present a substance with toxic potential in their composition, the go

/pdf/sperm-quality-of-sheep-fed-cottonseed-cake-15teri6e8f.pdf

Sperm Quality of Sheep Fed Cottonseed Cake

This study examined the effects of gossypol acetic acid on the antioxidant defense system of the rat testis. In gossypol-treated animals testis catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities were decreased. Catalase and glutathione peroxidase are the two enzymes that protect against oxidative damage by hydrogen peroxide. Other antioxidants that were reduced in treated animals were glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, alpha-tocopherol, and ascorbate. Gossypol, a pigment of cottonseed and cottonseed products, causes infertility in humans and many animal species, but its mechanism of action is unknown. Gossypol is known to produce reactive oxygen species in vitro. Oxidative injury caused by the generation of reactive oxygen species and a compromised antioxidant defense system may be responsible for the antifertility effects of gossypol.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/01485018808986734

Effects of gossypol on the antioxidant defense system of the rat testis

The residue from the oil extraction of cottonseeds is an important foodstuff for animals, being a source of high quality protein and other important components, such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins in addition to its energy value. However, these products have an anti-nutritional factor, gossypol, and its concentration in these derivatives depends on the degree of oil extraction. Gossypol is a phenolic yellowish pigment, the pigment produced by the glands found in the roots, stems, leaves and seeds of plants from the genus Gossypium. The effects of gossypol on reproduction in animals include reduced semen quality, interference with the estrous cycle of females and interruption of early embryonic development.

Keywords: Gossypol, reproductive toxicology, whole cottonseed, livestock.

Boonyawat Sanitwongse

Papers

Effects of gossypol on human and monkey sperm motility in vitro