Gossypol

What is that

Gossypol is a toxic substance mainly contained in cottonseed (0.4-1.8%) and in other species of the genus Gossypium. It "became famous in the 1970s, when the Chinese government began a series of research to investigate its possible use as a male contraceptive.

Present in crude cotton oil, gossypol is not contained in the refined oil currently on the market.

Contraceptive for men

The interest in the contraceptive properties of this food began with an "empirical observation, according to which there was a correlation between birth rates close to zero and food consumption of crude cotton oil. Research has then attributed to gossypol the ability to interfere with the "activity of the mitochondria present in the sperm head and inhibit the process of spermatogenesis itself.

Side effects

After the first encouraging clinical tests, the newly developed "male pill" soon came across its insurmountable toxic effects (in rats the lethal dose in 50% of cases is equal to 2.75 g / kg). If taken in high concentrations, gossypol is in fact responsible for the decrease in red blood cells and the reduced synthesis of prothrombin (a protein involved in blood clotting processes).

The dosages proposed for contraception, on the other hand, cause hypokalaemia (reduced blood potassium concentration), resulting in tiredness and muscle weakness.

If taken for a long time and at high dosages, gossypol is accompanied by oligospermia and azoospermia (non measurable levels of spermatozoa in the sperm), which persist for up to one year after the suspension of treatment; there have also been cases of chronic infertility.