Antispermatogenic action of gossypol in men
Coutinho, E.M.; Melo, J.F.; Barbosa, I.; Segal, S.J.
Fertility and Sterility 42(3): 424-430
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0015-0282 PMID: 6468676 DOI: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)48084-2Document Number: 405771
12 Brazilian men were treated with gossypol for 1 year. The treatment schedule consisted of oral administration of 20 mg gossypol daily for 4 months, followed by a maintenance dose of 20 mg on alternate days (o days/week), totaling 60 mg weekly for 8 months. 10 men became azoospermic at the end of the 4th month of treatment, and the other 2 developed marked oligospermia with necrospermia. Except for 1 man who complained of transient listlessness and fatigue, the subjects reported no side effects during treatment. No changes in libido or potency were reported, and plasma testosterone remained unchanged. Blood chemistry values, which included complete blood cell count, cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, acid phosphatase, urea, transaminases, sodium, and potassium, were not changed significantly during treatment. The response of the pituitary to gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation and the response of the testis to gonadotropin stimulation appeared normal in men treated with gossypol. After treatment, sperm counts reverted to essentially normal levels in 8 of 12 men. In 4 men, azoospermia continued 1 year after gossypol treatment discontinuation. Retrograde phlebography carried out in 3 of 4 men who remained azoospermic after therapy discontinuation revealed subclinical varicocele.