70 THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



Hemolytic Action 



Gossypol dissolves in alkaline solutions, thereby neutralizing 

 them. If siich a solution of gossj'pol is shaken a thick foam is 

 formed, resembling the property of saponins. Saponins are charac- 

 terised by their power to hemolyse red blood cells. 



The hemolytic power of gossypol was determined and found 

 that one-hundredth of one per cent (.01%) gossypol causes 

 hemolysis. 



A solution of gossypol at a dilution of 1 : 100,000 will kill fish. 



Our experimiCnts on the toxicity of cottonseed products indicate 

 that the toxicity varies with the conditions of cooking the raw seed, 

 raw kernels being the most highly toxic, — the dark colored, cotton- 

 seed _meal which had been cooked at a high temperature the least 

 toxic. Gossypol is destroyed under favorable conditions at high 

 temperatures due to oxidation. At Dr. Dowell's suggestion we 

 carried out an experiment in which one pen of pigs (28 pounds 

 each) was fed on a weil balanced ration containing commercial 

 cottonseed meal. Another pen was fed the same amount of cotton- 

 seed meal which had been moistened, cooked at 15 pounds'pressure^ 

 for 15 minutes and then dried. 



At the end of three weeks no difference in the two lots was 

 noticeable, neither in condition or gain in body weight, but from 

 then on the pigs fed on commercial cottonseed meal were notice- 

 ably inferior to the pigs fed on the autoclaved product. At the 

 end of Ti days the pigs fed the autoclaved cottonseed had gained 

 9.5 pounds m.ore than those fed the commercial cottonseed meal. 

 Gain of each pig fed fed cottonseed meal 23.5 pounds. Gain of each 

 pig fed autoclaved cottonseed meal 33.0 pounds. The gain in weight 

 of each pig fed commercial cottonseed meal was 71% of the gain of 

 those fed autoclaved cottonseed meal. 



All hogs fed the commercial cottonseed meal died the following 

 week. All showed the same post mortem appearances. The post 

 mortem examination showed serous fluid in the pericardial .-..ic and 

 in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. The heart was enlarged and 

 the cardiac muscle congested. The lungs were decidedly edmatows 

 and mottled with a number of small subpleural hemorrhages. The 

 liver and many glands, the stomach and small intestines were con- 

 gested. The lilood is very black and does not clot after death. 



The pigs fed autoclaved cottonseed meal were ther, tunned 

 m with th'e college hogs and have shown normal growth. 



