Progress in pharmacological action of gossypol

Gossypol is a kind of yellow polyphenolic compounds extracted from root,stem and seed of the cotton plant. It had received significant attention for its potential application as a male antifertility agent. Then it was used to treat female hormone-dependent diseases,for instance,endometriosis,hysteromyoma,uterine bleeding and dysmenorrheal. Current recent researches showed that gossypol has multiple biological activities,such as anti-inflammatory,antimalarial,antiviral,antioxidant activities and so on,especially the activity to induce tumor cell apoptosis.