THE SUBCELLULAR DISTRIBUTION AND COVALENT BINDING OF ~3H-(+) AND ~3H—(-) GOSSYPOL IN THE MAIN TISSUES OF RATS

The total and covalently bound radioactivity in various subcellular components in the main tissues of rats was measured 7 and 18 days after a single intraperitoneal and intratesticular injection of 3H-(+) and 3H-(-) gossypol. An increasing tendency of covalently bound radioactivity with time in the myocardial mitochondria and tcsticular cell membrane and microsomes of rats treated with (+) or (-) gossypol was found, especially in (-) gossypol treated rats. It remains to be clarified whether these arc linked to the myocardial toxicity and to the antispcrmatogenic activity of gossypol.