Alternative sources for better and safer products |
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End to urine as source for reproductive hormones
Our body produces a group of glycoprotein hormones that are rather similar: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). These protein hormones consist of an alpha- and a beta-subunit; the alpha-subunit is common to all four, while the beta-subunit is specific and determines biological activity. Three of these hormones (FSH, LH and hCG) are involved in reproductive processes. Traditionally they were obtained by processing millions of litres of human urine. The resulting batches of urine-derived material could be quite variable and contained many impurities. To avoid the collection and processing of large volumes of urine and to increase product purity and batch to batch consistency, different companies are now producing these hormones by genetic engineering. Any attempt to make these hormones by recombinant techniques involves cloning of two genes per hormone: the gene coding for the alpha-subunit and the gene coding for the specific beta-subunit. Being glycoproteins, the production cells should be capable of correct glycosylation and post-translational modifications, limiting the choice to animal or insect cells. Pharmaceutical companies have chosen Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells as production systems.