The Antihormone Problem in Clinical Endocrine Therapy

Abstract

Refractoriness or adaptation may occur in some clinical cases treated with non-protein hormones but this reaction is not considered an antihormonic response. The existence of an antithyroid substance is still questionable although the use of anti-serum in the treatment of Graves'' disease has been proposed. The clinical use of anterior pituitary hormone necessitates the introduction of a foreign protein into the body with a resultant development of antibodies. Thyro-trophic preps. cause the development of antithyrotrophic substances in the blood. Human chorionic gonadotrophin is not antigenic in man whereas equine gonadotrophin will cause the formation of antigonadotrophins. Equine gonadotrophin injs. have been followed by anaphylactoid reactions which may be due to proteins in the extract other than the hormone. Increased purity reduces the tendency for antigonadotrophin formation. Evidence is not available to show that a combination of sheep ant. pituitary extract and chorionic gonadotrophin is antigenic in man.