Abstract
Electrocardiograms were recorded from pigs fed diets containing 0.04% and 0.02% gossypol and compared to recordings from pigs fed a control diet. Gossypol content of the livers was found to be directly related to the changes in electrical patterns of the heart. Changes which occur in the electrocardiogram returned to normal for one test animal when the gossypol was removed from the diet. Portions of the electrocardiogram which were affected significantly (P<.01) by the gossypol diet were the T wave amplitude, T wave duration and the isoelectric S-T segment. Electrical pattern alterations are very prominent after prolonged feeding of gossypol and may lead to a loss of electrical rhythm, resulting in cardiac failure. Copyright © 1968. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1968 by American Society of Animal Science