Zone-specific hepatotoxicity of gossypol in perfused rat liver

Gossypol selectively damages the periportal region of lobules in perfused rat liver, while retrograde perfusion caused pericentral liver damage. Moreover, the addition of 0.4% bovine serum albumin(BSA) to the perfusate completely prevented the toxic effect of gossypol on hepatocytes, decreasing the absorption of gossypol by the liver. This study indicates that the damage caused by gossypol depends upon the direction of exposure and can be protected against by its binding to BSA.