Antigenicity of human chorionic gonadotrophin preparations in men

The antigenicity of HCG was tested in twenty-three young healthy men receiving two different HCG preparations (A and B). Each subject received 5000 i.u. HCG intramuscularly daily for three consecutive days, followed by another course, 3 weeks later, of 5000 i.u. HCG injections daily for 3 days. Two of the fifteen subjects treated with preparation A developed HCG antibodies in response to the HCG injections. The results show that although HCG is of human origin and also occurs normally in men, it may induce antibody formation even after brief treatment.