Antifertility efficacy of gossypol acetic acid in male rats.

Fertility response and sperm motility of male Wistar rats exposed to various concentrations (2.5 - 30 mg / kg / day) of gossypol acetic acid (GAA) was studied. GAA was given orally. A marked reduction in fertility occurred when rats received more than 15 mg / kg / day of GAA for 5 - 10 weeks (p less than 0.01); dosage below 15 mg had no antifertility effect even after 20 weeks. There is some evidence that GAA administration (30 mg / kg) every other day for 10 weeks had no antifertility effect. A clear relationship between the inhibition of sperm motility and GAA administration was observed (p less than 0.01). The interrelationships between fertility, sperm motility and GAA treatment were analyzed by Yates' chi-square test and Fisher's exact test.