STUDIES ON HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPHIN

Abstract

ABSTRACT Preparations of Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) with varying degrees of homogeneity were investigated immunochemically. The preparations were compared qualitatively by combined starch gel electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis, by immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis in agar, and, quantitatively by haemagglutination inhibition and by complement fixation reactions. The components present in pure HCG preparations which differed in electrophoretic mobilities, in N-acetyl neuraminic acid (NANA) content and in biological potencies, appeared to be immunochemically identical. This implies that results of immunochemical and biological estimations need not correlate with each other. This finding is compared with relevant data in the literature. It is proposed to use the 2nd International Standard for HCG for both immunochemical and biological estimations, but, because of the fundamental difference between the results of the two types of estimations, to express the immunochemically determined values in »International Immunochemical Units« (IIU).