Oxygen radical formation induced by gossypol in rat liver microsomes and human sperm.

Gossypol, a polyphenolic compound found in cotton plants, has many potential uses, including use as a male antifertility drug and spermicide. Gossypol affects a variety of cell processes and many of these effects may be explained by a common underlying mechanism. Here we report that gossypol promotes the formation of oxygen radicals when incubated with rat liver microsomes and human sperm suggesting that oxygen radical production may be the underlying basis of its biological activity.