title: [Gossypol decreases the expression of connexin 43 in Sertoli cells].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of gossypol on the expression of connexin 43 (CX43) in Sertoli cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  TM4 Sertoli cells were cultured and treated with gossypol at the concentrations of 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 micromol/L for 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. The cytotoxicity of gossypol was assessed by CCK-8 assay, and the expression of CX43 in the normal TM4 Sertoli cells and in those treated with different concentrations of gossypol for different times was detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Semiquantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence analysis showed the expression of CX43 in the normal TM4 cells. At 24 hours of exposure to gossypol, the expression began to decrease gradually with the prolonging of time and the increasing concentration of gossypol (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gossypol reduces the expression of CX43 in TM4 Sertoli cells, which might underlie the mechanism of its antifertility action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong 515000, China. g_drzhou@stu.edu.cn
authors.forename: De-rong
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jun-hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Qing-tao
authors.initials: QT
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Bing-sen
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: You-bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006072:Gossypol / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D006072:Gossypol