the effects of gossypol on spermatogenesis in nmri mice

infertility is a relatively common problem among couples, and gossypol, a yellowishpigment detected in cottonseed, is one cause.adult nmri mice (25-35 gr) were used in this study. the animals were kept in standard conditionswith a dark and light cycle of 12:12, controlled humidity and temperature, food and water were availableadlibitium.gossypol was dissolved in ethanol and diluted by sunflower oil as a vehicle (0.5: 4.5), and wereused orally (13.425 mg/kg per day) for 15 days. the animals were sacrificed 24 hours after the lasttreatment.the factors compared among these groups were testis and epididymis length and weight, spermlength and count and also histological differences. statistical analysis by one way anova revealedthat:gossypol causes a 69.33% & 67.22% decrease in the sperm number compared to control &sham groups, respectively. it also causes a 29.63% decrease in the epididymal weight, and changes inthe histological structure of the testis.in conclusion, although gossypol may be a good antifertility agent, it should be handled morecautiously. furthermore, the usage of cottonseed oil in snacks should be limited and those field/factorymenwho have contact with cotton should be more careful.