A highly sensitive colorimetric sandwich-enzyme immunoassay for human chorionic gonadotropin using specific antibodies against the carboxy-terminal portion of the β-subunit

Elevated Levels of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin-β, a Marker of Active Neurohypophyseal Germinoma, Detected by Immune Complex Transfer Enzyme Immunoassay

“…Tachibana et al [7] have demonstrated immunohistochemically that HCG-β is also expressed in craniopharyngioma cells. Other reports have indicated that craniopharyngiomas secrete HCG-β into CSF, elevating serum HCG-β concentrations [3]. These studies, therefore, indicated that HCG-β is detectable not only in the case of choriocarcinoma and germinoma containing STGC, but also in the case of other kinds of suprasellar tumors.…”

“…In this study, HCG-β was measured using an ICT-EIA that is over 1000 times more sensitive than the conventional method [3][4][5]. ICT-EIA is capable of detecting minute changes in HCG-β even in pure germinomas.…”

Pharmaceutical Evaluation of Hollow-Type Suppotitories. Part XXIII. Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) after Rectal Administration of Hollow-Type Suppositories Containing hCG.

“…The plasma hCG concentration was determined by the HCG-CPT Test Wako Kit (Wako Pure Chemical Co., Tokyo, Japan). This kit is a sandwich-type immunoassay 11) for hCG determination in serum and urine which uses a highly specific anti-hCG-b Carboxyl Terminal Peptide (hCG-bCTP) antibody in solid phase that specifically recognizes the amino acid sequence located between the 123rd and 145th hCG bsubunits. Therefore, its cross reactivity with similar hormones such as human LH (hLH) is very low, enabling a highly precise and sensitive determination of low amounts of hCG.…”

Management of Central Nervous System Germinoma: Proposal for a Modern Strategy

“…Elevation of β-HCG over 1,000 mIU/ml or 200 ng/ml would indicate presence of pure or mixed nongerminomatous germ cell tumors, especially choriocarcinoma, but low levels of elevation below 10 mIU/ml or 2 ng/ml would suggest that the tumor is pure germinoma. It should be noted that elevation of β-HCG levels can be observed in craniopharyngioma patients [7] and this tumor should be ruled out from clinical and radiological findings. Conversely, elevation of α-fetoprotein or carcinoembryonic antigen levels indicates the presence of nongerminomatous germ cell tumors or their components.…”