REVERSIBLE CHANGES IN THE CONTENT OF CELLULAR AND MICROTUBULAR TUBULIN IN SPERMATOGENIC CELLS AFTER GOSSYPOL TREATMENT (VOL 55, PG 41, 1997)

After exposure of young male rats to gossypol acetic acid for various times, a reduction in the content of cellular and microtubular beta-tu bulin was found in spermatocytes and spermatids. The content of tubuli n was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The resul ts were expressed as micrograms tubulin/100 mu g total protein and com pared with those of the control rats. After drug treatment for 2, 6, 1 2, and 20 weeks, the content of total cell tubulin in spermatocyte was reduced by 2.4%, 5.8%, 52%, and 61%, respectively; whereas the conten t of tubulin in spermatid was reduced by 7.4%, 36%, 70%, and 72%, resp ectively. At the same time length of drug treatment, the content of mi crotubular tubulin in spermatocyte was reduced by 1.6% 13%, 58%, and 6 1% in comparison to the reduction rate of 5%, 37%, 69%, and 77%, respe ctively, for spermatid. These results indicated that the tubulins asso ciated with spermatids were more vulnerable to gossypol than that of t he spermatocytes. Eight weeks after withdrawal of the drug treatment, the content of tubulin in spermatocytes and spermatids was recovered. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.