title: Early pregnancy factor is an immunosuppressive contaminant of commercial preparations of human chorionic gonadotrophin.
abstract: Early pregnancy factor (EPF) is a pregnancy associated substance detected in human serum and urine throughout the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. It has also been detected in several commercial preparations of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). The various molecular weight forms of EPF which occur in human pregnancy serum, urine and commercial hCG preparations have been partially characterized and found to be similar to each other but distinct from hCG. Further evidence is presented which suggests that it is EPF rather than hCG which is responsible for the immunosuppressive activity of some crude hCG preparations.
mesh_terms: D018835:Chaperonin 10; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000032:analysis*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004340:Drug Contamination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D010455:Peptides; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013491:Suppressor Factors, Immunologic
chemical_list: D018835:Chaperonin 10; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D010455:Peptides; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D013491:Suppressor Factors, Immunologic; C025124:early pregnancy factor