Anti-Gonadotropic Substances in Man Following Treatment with Pregnant Mare Serum. ∗

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions

The injection of gonadotropic substances of equine origin elicits the production of anti-gonadotropic activity in man. It has been reported previously 3 that daily or biweekly administration of PMS caused anti-gonadotropic serum formation. The data reported here demonstrates that PMS treatment extending over a period of months will build up anti-gonadotropic activity despite the fact that hormone therapy involved only a few injections (4-5) at each mid-period of the menstrual cycle. Furthermore, this activity persists for as long as 4 months after the cessation of treatment.

Definite anti-gonadotropic activity was evident in the serum of patients receiving shorter treatment. The time factor is of importance since anti-serum of the same potency resulted after 9 injections (200 r.u. each) given once a week and after 5 injections (200 r.u. each) administered in 3 weeks. The serum was tested 10 weeks after the first injection in each case.

It is interesting to note that inhibitory substances to human pregnancy urine extracts have never been detected in man, 4-5 , 6 whereas they have been shown to occur after treatment with heterologous extracts. This fact supports the contention that the inhibitory substances are antibody in nature, elicited by an extract of a different species, rather than anti-hormone to the injected active material.