Abstract
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone of considerable importance in the establishment, promotion and maintenance of human pregnancy. It has been clearly demonstrated that hCG exerts multiple endocrine, paracrine and autocrine actions on a variety of gestational and non-gestational cells and tissues. These actions are directed to promote trophoblast invasiveness and differentiation, placental growth, angiogenesis in uterine vasculature, hormone production, modulation of the immune system at the maternal-fetal interface, inhibition of myometrial contractility as well as fetal growth and differentiation. In recent years, considerable interest has been raised towards the biological effects of environmental contaminants, particularly endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to selected EDCs can have a deleterious impact on the fetus and long-lasting consequences also in adult life. The results of the in vitro effects of commonly found EDCs, particularly Bisphenol A (BPA) and para-Nonylphenol (p-NP), indicate that these substances can alter hCG production and through this action could exert their fetal damage, suggesting that hCG could represent and become a potentially useful clinical biomarker of an inappropriate prenatal exposure to these substances.
Highlights
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a molecule of considerable biological importance, being implicated, nearly in all the major reproductive and developmental processes in humans
There is no doubt that Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is a fundamental molecule for human pregnancy and of its actions are directed towards pregnancy maintenance [19]
Much attention has been paid in the last several decades on the possible impact of environmental contaminants, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), on human pregnancy [37]
Summary
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is a molecule of considerable biological importance, being implicated, nearly in all the major reproductive and developmental processes in humans. Many new concepts on the role of hCG have been added to those traditionally established in the fields of reproductive and non-reproductive biology These new concepts have led to many new potential therapies with hCG. The third is the therapeutic glycoproteins family, which contains prominent members like erythropoietin, interferons, monoclonal antibodies and tissue plasminogen activator [8]. Like these therapeutic glycoproteins, hCG has an unrealized potential in saving the countless number of human lives from some of the most dreadful diseases [1,8]. It has been reported that pregnancy can be detected by an abundance as well as by glycoforms of hCG [18]
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