The measurement of the peptide hormones in saliva. 2. Chorionic gonadotropin subunits in pregnancy.
The alpha and beta subunits of the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) were measured during pregnancy in the saliva of a first group (no. = 23) and in the serum and saliva of a second group (no. = 25). Only ten pregnant women had normal gestation, the remaining 39 being diagnosed as miscellaneous pathologies, the threatened (or impending) abortion being the most frequent (no. = 19). The mean serum levels of alpha-HCG increase from 75.97 +/- 18.59 ng/ml (X +/- SEM) during the first trimester to 341.98 +/- 65.09 ng/ml during the third trimester of the gestation. The mean salivary concentration of the alpha HCG seems unmodified during pregnancy (approximately 10 ng/ml), but large interindividual variations were observed (limits 0.10-28.78 ng/ml) possibly due to the non-homogeneity of the investigated groups. The presence of the beta-HCG subunit in saliva could not be assessed, the great part of the values being aggregated around the sensitivity limit of the RIA technique (0.2 ng/ml). The physiological significance of the presence of the HCG and of its subunits in saliva as well as the ways to elucidate the possible selective role of the blood-saliva barrier are discussed.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D005260:Female; D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit; D006801:Humans; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit; D010446:Peptide Fragments