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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #70827
Title: ACCUMULATION OF GOSSYPOL ENANTIOMERS IN OVINE TISSUES

Author
item KIM, H - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item CALHOUN, M - TX. AGRI. EXP. STATION
item Stipanovic, Robert - Bob

Submitted to: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Gossypol is a component of cottonseed, and is toxic to young ruminant and monogastric animals. Gossypol occurs naturally as both (+)- and (-)-enantiomers. These enantiomers exhibit different biological activity in a number of bioassay. The (+)-enantiomer is usually less active. Tissues in lambs lethally intoxicated with racemic gossypol (i.e. gossypol with equal quantities of the (+)- and (-)-enantiomers) were analyzed for residues of the (+)- and (-)-enantiomers. Levels of (-)-gossypol were found to be higher in such vital organs as the heart, muscle and spleen, while the (+)-enantiomer was higher in the kidney. These variations may be due to differences in the metabolism of these enantiomers. This preliminary study establishes a method for analyzing these enantiomers in animal tissue and provides the basis for additional studies on the toxicity of these enantiomers.

Technical Abstract: Tissue residue levels of gossypol enantiomers in cottonseed-fed and lethally intoxicated lambs were determined by the high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection method. Gossypol was derivatized with (+)-2-amino-1-propanol and separated with a reversed-phase C18 column and the elution of analytes was monitored at 254 nm. The highest residue level was found in the liver tissue (318-416 ng total gossypol/mg dry tissue), and the residue of (-)-gossypol was higher than (+)-gossypol in the heart, muscle and spleen. The detection limit was 2 ng, and the detector response of gossypol-amine adducts was linear between 2 and 100 ng enantiomers.