Antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects of gossypol on Dunning prostate cell-bearing Copenhagen rats.

Gossypol, a polyphenolic aldehyde naturally present in cottonseed, has long been recognized as a male contraceptive and recently as a potential anticancer agent. Our study used a rodent model to evaluate gossypol's potential for the treatment of human prostatic carcinoma. Two-month-old Copenhagen male rats received subcutaneous implants of a subpassage of MAT-LyLu prostatic cancer line, a highly metastatic, androgen-independent Dunning prostate tumor subline that specifically metastasizes to lymph nodes and lungs of recipients. After 2 weeks of gossypol treatment (0 or 12.5 mg/kg B.W./da S.C.) initiated immediately after transplantation, the rats were sacrificed and evaluated for prostate tumor growth and metastasis