Response of hamster to the antifertility effect of gossypol

One hundred and five sexually mature male hamsters were divided in different groups. In the first experiment hamsters were administered gossypol, 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg/body weight/day, for twenty and thirty days. In the second experiment hamsters were administered gossypol, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg/body weight/day, for sixty days. In the third experiment, hamsters were administered gossypol 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg/kg body weight/day for 45 days. Animals in all the groups were given gossypol by oral intubation every day. No significant effect on the body weight of hamsters following gossypol treatment was observed. At low doses the weights of testis and accessory sex organs were not statistically different from those of the controls. A significant decrease in testis and epididymis weight was however observed following high doses of gossypol. Low doses of gossypol treatment did not affect the motility of the vas deferens spermatozoa. The vas deferens spermatozoa were however immotile after 40 mg/kg/day gossypol treatment. Gossypol treatment induced a series of histological changes in the seminiferous epithelium of the hamster testis. The earliest sign of drug effect was seen in spermatids and with the increase in doses the effects became more pronounced and extended to the spermatocytes. At 40 mg/kg dose an almost complete arrest of spermatogenesis was observed. Quantitatively, the ratio of pachytene spermatocytes: resting spermatocytes and step 7 spermatids: pachytene spermatocytes decreased significantly. The step 7 spermatids did not mature to step 19 spermatids at all. Histochemically activities of ATPase, SDH and LDH decreased with the increasing doses of gossypol, the activity of 3B hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase was not affected by gossypol treatment. In testis the glucose-6-phosphatase activity was not affected significantly but the activities of fructose 1, 6-diphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase decreased significantly with the increasing doses of gossypol. Amylase activity rose significantly at higher doses. Marked changes in LDH and LDH-X were however observed with the increase in gossypol dose. In liver the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase increased significantly while the activities of fructose 1, 6-diphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase and amylase were not affected following gossypol treatment. The glycogen contents however increased significantly following high doses of gossypol. No changes in testosterone production and plasma levels of testosterone were observed following gossypol treatment.