The isolation of human pituitary hormones from frozen glands

An integrated scheme for the extraction and purification of human pituitary hormones from frozen glands has been developed. The method yields 6.3 mg/gland of monomeric pyrogen-free GH in a single fraction, with a potency of 2.5-3.1 IU/mg, as estimated by bioassay, radioreceptor assay, and RIA, with a further 0.6 mg/gland recovered from side fractions. A glycoprotein fraction yields 200 IU FSH, 500 IU LH, and 0.2 IU TSH per gland, as estimated by RIA. Additional hormones purified from side fractions include PRL, lipotropins, and the 20,000 molecular weight variant of human GH.