Contraceptive gossypol blocks cell-to-cell communication in human and rat cells.
Gossypol (a polycyclic lipophilic agent naturally present in cottonseed, known as a potent non-steroid antifertility agent and a non-specific enzyme inhibitor) irreversibly impaired the intercellular communication between homologous pairs of various cultured cells, from man or rat, involved (Sertoli or trophoblastic cells) or not involved (ventricular myocytes) in steroidogenesis, in a dose-dependent manner. In serum-free assays, a rapid junctional uncoupling occurred in non-cytotoxic conditions. At 5 microM (approximately twice the peak plasma concentration measured in human patients during chronic administration), gap junctional communication was interrupted within 4 to 10 min, without concomitant rise in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. The latter importantly increased when gossypol treatment was prolonged (cytotoxic effect). The short term uncoupling effect of gossypol was prevented by serum proteins, but long-lasting treatments (48 h) with moderate concentrations (3 microM) elicited junctional uncoupling and impeded the in vitro differentiation of human trophoblasts.
Laboratories de Physiologie Cellulaire et de Physiologie Animale, Unité de Recherche Associée au CNRS No. 1869, Poitiers, France.
J C
JC
Hervé
F
F
Pluciennik
B
B
Bastide
L
L
Cronier
F
F
Verrecchia
A
A
Malassiné
M
M
Joffre
J
J
Délèze
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003270:Contraceptive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006072:Gossypol / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D003270:Contraceptive Agents; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006072:Gossypol; D002118:Calcium