Effect of gossypol on testicular blood flow and testosterone production in rats

Rats were treated with highly purified gossypol acetic acid at doses of 15 or 30 mg/kg day-1 for 6 weeks to produce an effect on spermatogenesis as shown by reduced sperm motility and increased sperm malformation rates. The treated rats did not differ from the controls in the body weight growth curves and reproductive organ weights. When stimulated with hCG, testicular blood flow was increased in the low dose group; the testosterone concentrations in peripheral and testicular venous blood were also increased to a greater extent than those of the control group. No difference was found between the high dose and control groups in testicular blood flow or testosterone concentrations. The morphology of the Leydig cells was apparently normal, although some degenerative changes in the germinal epithelium were observed in the high dose group. Therefore, there is no evidence in our experiment to show any anti-androgenic effect following 6-week treatment of gossypol in rats, even at the dose of 30 mg/kg day-1.