Gossypol as a Carotene-protecting Antioxidant, in Vivo and in Vitro*

Sherman (1) has shown that carotene is destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract when fed with linolate or linolenate to vitamin A-deficient rats. Carotene-free refined vegetable oils or their non-saponifiable fractions prevented this destruction of carotene. It was shown later (2) that a-tocopherol was highly effective in preserving carotene under such conditions. This fact was noted independently by Quackenbush, Cox, and Steenbock (3). These results have been confirmed by Hickman and coworkers (h-6), and extended in detail to show that por y-tocopherols or fat-soluble derivatives of ascorbic acid and hydroquinone are equally as effective as a-tocopherol. The antioxidant property of gossypol for the protection of lard, in vitro, was first demonstrated by Mattill (7). Gossypol is effective in protecting carotene, in vitro, against preformed fat peroxides (8). Therefore, it seemed logical to determine whether gossypol could act as a caroteneprotecting antioxidant, in vivo, and whether cot,tonseed products containing gossypol could inhibit carotene destruction and rancidity development, in vitro.