Effect of gossypol upon motility and ultrastructure of Trypanosoma cruzi

Gossypol, a polyphenolic compound from the cotton plant, immobilizes and structurally alters cultured Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. Ultrastructural changes observed in gossypol-treated parasites were first detected in the kinetoplast and mitochondrion. At 50 microM concentration, much disorganization was evident after 5 min of incubation. With 25 microM gossypol, the same effect occurred after 30 min. Most epimastigotes were rounded, containing various membranous structures that could not be related to known cell components.