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Related Experiment Videos

Trisomic pregnancies have normal human chorionic gonadotropin bioactivity.

P G Kratzer1, M S Golbus, D E Finkelstein

  • 1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0132.

Prenatal Diagnosis
|January 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

This study found that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) bioactivity does not differ between normal and aneuploid pregnancies. Therefore, hCG bioactivity is not a reliable marker for antenatal screening of aneuploidy.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Medical Diagnostics
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Aneuploidy, such as Down syndrome, is a common chromosomal abnormality.
  • Early detection of aneuploidy can inform clinical management and reproductive choices.
  • Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced during pregnancy, and its levels are sometimes used in aneuploidy screening.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the bioactivity of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) differs between normal and aneuploid pregnancies.
  • To determine if hCG bioactivity could serve as a basis for a useful antenatal screen for fetal aneuploidy.

Main Methods:

  • Sera from pregnant women were analyzed for hCG bioactivity using a mouse uterine weight assay.
  • Samples were collected from first-trimester chorionic villus sampling and second-trimester elective abortions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • The bioactivity to immunoactivity (B:I) ratio of hCG was compared between normal, trisomic, and neural tube defect pregnancies.

    • Main Results:

    • The hCG bioactivity to immunoactivity (B:I) ratio in normal pregnancies decreased progressively with gestational age.
    • No significant differences were observed in hCG B:I ratios between normal and aneuploid pregnancies in either the first or second trimester.
    • Despite higher overall hCG concentrations in trisomic pregnancies, their hCG bioactivity remained comparable to normal pregnancies.

    Conclusions:

    • Aneuploid pregnancies exhibit altered regulation of hCG expression.
    • The bioactivity of hCG is not significantly different between normal and aneuploid fetuses.
    • hCG bioactivity is unlikely to be a useful biomarker for antenatal screening of fetal aneuploidy.