ASSAY OF HUMAN PITUITARY GONADOTROPIN FROM MALE AND POSTMENOPAUSAL URINE

Abstract

Human pituitary gonadotropin (HPG) was prepared from male urine and from postmenopausal urine by the same process and was assayed by four methods, namely by ovarian weight in intact rats, by uterine weight in intact mice, and by the ventral-prostatic weight and testicular weight in hypophysectomized rats. The relative potency (postmenopausal[division sign] male) of the two preparations of HPG was 12.83 by the four methods of assay (total of 14 assays). When the specific activities of the two preparations of HPG were equalized by appropriate dilution of the more potent HPG (postmenopausal) with inert material, the relative potency was 1.12 by the four methods of assay (total of 14 assays). The mean index of discrimination using all possible combinations of assays was close to unity, and all values for the mean index of discrimination fell well within experimentally verified and allowable (P = 0.95) limits of fluctuation. It was concluded that no evidence for dissimilarity of HPG from these two sources was obtained by these conventional methods of assay.