Gossypol Disrupts Embryo Development in Heifers

Our objectives were to determine the effects of dietary free gossypol (FG) intake on plasma and uterine gossypol concentrations and embryo development and viability before and after culture with gossypol. Fifty postpubertal Holstein heifers weighing (±SD) 406 ± 34.5 kg at 11.5 mo of age were blocked by age and body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets differing in their FG content: control (0 mg of FG/kg of BW), moderate (17.8 mg of FG/kg of BW), and high (36.8 mg of FG/kg of BW). Heifers were fed the diets for 70 d before superovulation and embryo collection. Superovulated heifers were flushed on d 5 after induction of ovulation, and early morulae were either stained, to determine the number and proportion of live and dead cells, or randomly assigned to an in vitro culture for 96 h in media containing either 0 or 10 μg/mL of gossypol acetic acid. Plasma and uterine gossypol concentrations increased with increasing gossypol intake. The number of low-quality embryos-ova was greater for the high than for the moderate and control diets. Embryos collected from the high diet had the least number of cells because of fewer live cells, and were smaller in diameter. Greater dietary gossypol reduced blastocyst development and extended the time to reach the blastocyst stage. Similarly, gossypol concentration at 10 μg/mL compromised in vitro development and increased the proportion of degenerated embryos at 96 h in culture. These findings provide in vivo and in vitro evidence that intake of 36.8 mg of FG/kg of BW per d and gossypol concentrations >7 μg/mL in plasma, in uterine flush, or in vitro compromise early embryo development, which might explain some of the negative effects of gossypol on the fertility of dairy cows.