Gossypol inhibits estrogen binding to rat alpha-fetoprotein

We find that gossypol, a male anti-fertility compound, is a reversible competitive inhibitor of estrogen binding to rat alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The Kd of gossypol for rat AFP is 1.75 microM, which is similar to gossypol's affinity for lactate dehydrogenase isozyme X, the putative site where gossypol exerts its anti-fertility effects. Reacting sodium cyanoborohydride with gossypol reduces its affinity for AFP, showing that intact aldehyde groups on gossypol are important for binding to rat AFP and indicating that gossypol is specifically inter-acting with a nucleophilic site on AFP that influences estrogen binding.