23 4 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVI, No S 
EFFECT OF GOSSYPOL ON THE OXYGEN CAPACITY OF THE BLOOD 
Fresh sheep’s blood was centrifuged to concentrate the corpuscles; 
these were saturated with oxygen and used in the following experiments. 
The “oxygen capacity” was determined according to Hie method of 
Van Slyke (7). Determinations were made using the concentrated blood 
corpuscles, and also using whole blood. In each case 1 cc. of a 1 per 
cent NaCl solution was added to 2 cc. of the corpuscles or of whole blood, 
the mixture placed in the apparatus, and the oxygen liberated deter¬ 
mined ; two such determinations were made as a control in each series of 
experiments. Then a similar mixture was made of 2 cc. of blood cor¬ 
puscles or of whole blood, and 1 cc. of 1 per cent NaCl solution con¬ 
taining a definite amount of gossypol, and the oxygen liberated deter¬ 
mined as before. 
For the first set of comparisons, the two determinations with blood 
corpuscles gave as results 0.75 and 0.745 cc. of oxygen; mean of the 
two, 0.7475. A similar determination, using NaCl solution which con¬ 
tained 0.02 gm. of gossypol, yielded 0.35 cc. of oxygen, or only 46.8 per 
cent of the mean of the two control determinations. With 0.0025 gm. 
gossypol, 0.48 cc. of oxygen was liberated, or 64.2 per cent. 
Two further determinations of the oxygen content of similar mixtures 
of blood corpuscles and NaCl solution gave 0.745 and 0.75 cc. of oxygen; 
mean, 0.7475, as before. With 0.01 gm. of gossypol in the 1 cc. of 
NaCl solution used, 0.48 cc. of oxygen were liberated; two further deter¬ 
minations, each with 0.01 gm. of gossypol, gave 0.45 and 0.46 cc., 
respectively, of oxygen; mean of the three, 0.463, or 61.9 per cent of 
the oxygen liberated with no gossypol present. 
Again, the two control determinations, with the usual mixture of 
blood corpuscles and NaCl solution, gave 0.64 cc. and 0.63 cc. of oxygen; 
mean, 0.635. Three successive determinations, each with 0.004 gm. of 
gossypol contained in the 1 cc. of NaCl solution, yielded 0.26 cc., 0.30 
cc., and 0.30 cc., respectively, of oxygen; mean of the three, 0.287, or 
45.2 per cent of the oxygen liberated from the mixture free of gossypol. 
A series of determinations was also made with a mixture of 2 cc. of 
whole blood and 1 cc. of the usual 1 per cent NaCl solution. Two con¬ 
trol determinations gave 0.43 cc. and 0.435 cc - of oxygen; mean, 0.4325. 
Two determinations were then made with a similar mixture, the 1 cc. of 
NaCl solution of which contained in each case 0.005 gm. of gossypol. 
Each determination gave 0.32 cc. of oxygen, or 74.0 per cent of the 
mean value of the control determinations. And, finally, two similar 
determinations, with double the amount of gossypol, or 0.01 gm., in each 
mixture, liberated 0.27 and 0.28 cc. of oxygen; mean, 0.275, or 63.6 per 
cent of the oxygen liberated from the mixture free from gossypol. 
It is clear from the results here recorded that gossypol inhibits the 
liberation of oxygen from hemoglobin. This property of gossypol is 
evident even when very small quantities are used. The results are such 
as might have been anticipated from the symptoms observed in animals 
suffering from gossypol poisoning—namely, a shortness of breath follow¬ 
ing muscular exertion. 
