ABSTRACT
The action of HCS and HCG on cell-mediated immunity has been investigated. Full-thickness skin homografts were performed in 40 whole adult female Wistar rats. Brown rats of the A X C strain were selected as donors. The animals were divided into four groups injected with HCS, HCG, HCS + HCG, and saline. The graft rejection time and the wet and dry weight of thymus and spleen were evaluated. No hormonal treatment showed any effect on skin graft survival. Thymus weight, both wet and dry, decreased significantly by treatment with HCP or HCS + HCG. No modification was observed in spleen weight. These results do not agree with the theory that HCS and HCG modify immunological competence of maternal lymphocytes and thus may contribute to prevent rejection of the fetus.
Subject(s)
Placental Lactogen/pharmacology , Skin Transplantation , Animals , Female , Graft Rejection/drug effects , Immunity, Cellular/drug effects , Organ Size/drug effects , Pregnancy , Rats , Spleen/drug effects , Thymus Gland/drug effects , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Acetic acid extracts of human term placenta have been fractionated by pH and salt precipitations and by exclusion chromatography on a Sephadex G-75 column. A partially purified fraction (F-II) possessing uterotropic activity in immature and young mice was obtained. This active fraction was submitted to the action of protein denaturating agents (heat, 8 M urea) and of specific proteolytic enzymes (trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin and pronase). These treatments completely destroy the uterotropic activity showing that the active substance is of protein nature. The administration of F-II to spayed mice did not produce any increase in their uterine weight suggesting that the uterotropic activity would be due to stimulation of the female gonad.
Subject(s)
Placenta/analysis , Placental Hormones/isolation & purification , Female , Humans , PregnancyABSTRACT
Precocious sexual maturity, ovarian weight increase and stimulation of the sex accessory organs in impuber female mice, was induced by a partially purified protein fraction obtained from human placenta. The relationship between this biologically active protein and HCG was studied by a comparative immuno-double diffusion technique (Ouchterlony) and two agglutination inhibition tests. Results showed that this protein with gonadotropic activity is neither immunologically related to HCG nor contaminated with this hormone.
