PHARMACOLOGY OF GOSSYPOL 1 
By Erich W. Schwartze, Pharmacologist in Charge , Pharmacological Labora¬ 
tory , and Carl L. Alsberg, formerly Chief , Bureau of Chemistry, United 
States Department of Agriculture 
INTRODUCTION 
The gossypol content of cottonseed kernels varies in the different cotton- 
producing regions of the United States ( 9 ) 2 and the toxicity of different lots of 
kernels is directly proportional to their gossypol content {10). The rats used as 
test animals for the experiments on which these conclusions were based, however, 
did not exhibit all the manifestations of the cottonseed poisoning of farm animals, 
namely, diarrhea, loss of appetite, loss of weight, shortness of breath, and paral¬ 
ysis. Edema of the anogenital region also sometimes occurs and post-mortem 
examination may reveal effusion into the serous cavities, edema of the lungs, 
hypertrophy of the heart, and neuritis. Rommel and Vedder {8) have pointed 
out the resemblance of this symptom complex to beriberi. Of all these effects of 
cottonseed poisoning rats showed only loss of appetite and loss of weight. To 
remove any doubt as to the identity of the agent causing these intoxications of 
rats and of the causative agent of cottonseed poisoning of farm animals, experi¬ 
ments upon animals other than rats were undertaken. 
ANIMALS USED 
As the Bureau of Chemistry has no facilities for experiments on farm animals, 
the work was done on cats which are carnivorous and are particularly well suited 
to experiments in which inanition may become a complicating factor because 
they are less likely to succumb to acidosis than herbivorous or omnivorous animals. 
The results of this investigation upon the toxicity of gossypol for cats, together 
with some additional observations on rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and mice, are 
here presented. 
RATIONS FED 
In the rabbit feeding experiments the gossypol was added in ether solution to 
the oats of the diet, the ether being removed subsequently by evaporation. A , 
small ration of carrots or cabbage was also fed daily. Since this treatment of 
oat kernels presumably causes the gossypol to be deposited on the oat hulls, 
rabbits which hull their oats were rejected. In the cat feeding experiments, 
meat to which gossypol dissolved in butterfat had been added was refused. The 
solution of gossypol in butterfat was therefore mixed with skim milk powder and 
this mixture was incorporated in the hashed lean meat upon which the cats were 
fed. Meat is moist and does not necessarily take up gossypol as would dry 
material and it is impossible to work up the hashed meat and the milk powder 
mixture into a homogeneous mass. This method of administering gossypol 
therefore is not ideal when the effect of gossypol upon digestion is being studied. 
In all of the feeding experiments, except those performed to determine the effect 
of different concentrations, the dosage was so adjusted as to feed the maximum 
quantity of gossypol compatible with the maintenance of a fair appetite. 
1 Received for publication Mar. 21, 1924. * 
7 Reference is made by number (italic) to “Literature cited,” p. 197. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
( 191 ) 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 2 
Apr. 12, 1924 
Key No. E-29 
