The effects of various hormones on human chorionic gonadotropin production in early and late placental explant cultures.

Although human chorionic gonadotropin production peaks in early pregnancy, little is known of the factors regulating it at this time. We have compared human chorionic gonadotropin output in placental explants of 6 to 12 and 37 to 40 weeks' gestational age after addition of hormones on days 4 and 5 of 8 days of culture. Human chorionic gonadotropin production was sevenfold greater in early versus late cultures. In early cultures human chorionic gonadotropin output was increased threefold to fourfold by progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and cortisol whereas late cultures responded only to progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone. The output of combinations of steroids was additive or better (up to fifteenfold). Gonadotropin-releasing hormone increased human chorionic gonadotropin output only slightly (onefold to twofold) while testosterone was inhibitory (early) or ineffective (late). Estradiol had no effect. These studies demonstrate that explants of early placental tissue provide a useful model for study of human chorionic gonadotropin production, that there are many similarities but some clear differences between early and late secretion, and that steroids exert significant effects on human chorionic gonadotropin production of placental cultures.