Abstract
Gossypol (GP), a male antifertility agent, and Gossypolone (GN), a major metabolite of GP, have been shown to have a suppressive effect on steroidogenesis in bovine luteal cells. We examined the effect of GP, GN and serum obtained from rats given GP (GP-serum) on steroidogenesis in porcine granulosa cells (PGC). To obtain GP-serum, 50-60 day old Copenhagen rats received GP (12.5 mg/kg B.W. /day, sc) for 14 days. PGC were incubated with GP, GN and GP-serum at different doses for 24 hours. GP and GN significantly suppressed Progesterone (P4) and Estradiol (E2) release in a dose-dependent manner, respectively. GP-serum also significantly suppressed P4 release in a dose-dependent manner. The magnitude of suppression of P4 obtained by GP-serum could not be explained by the amount of GP remaining in the serum. Therefore, the inhibition of P4 release by GP-serum could not be solely attributed to GP.
