[Isolation of growth hormone from swine hypophysis]

The present work describes a procedure for the isolation of a highly purified growth hormone from fresh-frozen porcine pituitary glands. With regard to the similarity of the primary structure and the physicochemical behaviour between the hormone molecules of canine and porcine it was possible to use a method for the isolation of the growth hormone from canine pituitaries according to a direction of Wilhelmi, carried out by a partially modified technique. The concentration and further purification was performed by a fractionation with ammonium sulfate and ion-exchange chromatography on diethylaminoethylcellulose. Porcine growth hormone was obtained in a yield of 1,43 mg per g fresh weight of glands. With the aid of a double antibody radioimmunoassay for porcine growth hormone 0,78 mg hormone per 1 mg of the purified product could be determined. The disc-gel electrophoretic patterns contained besides the typical double band of growth hormone no mark of any other protein component.