Comprehensive Report on Chorionic Gonadotropin (Human) (DrugBank ID: DB09126)

I. Introduction to Chorionic Gonadotropin (Human) (DB09126)

A. Overview and Clinical Significance

Chorionic Gonadotropin (Human), commonly referred to as hCG, is a polypeptide hormone naturally synthesized by the syncytiotrophoblast cells of the placenta during pregnancy.[1] As a therapeutic agent, specifically identified by DrugBank ID DB09126, it is formulated as a highly purified, pyrogen-free preparation derived from the urine of pregnant females.[3] The hormone's primary physiological role is the maternal recognition of pregnancy and maintenance of the corpus luteum, ensuring continued progesterone secretion crucial for sustaining the early stages of gestation.[1]

The clinical utility of exogenous hCG stems from its ability to mimic the biological actions of endogenous luteinizing hormone (LH) and, to a lesser extent, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).[3] This LH-like activity allows hCG to stimulate gonadal steroid hormone production. Consequently, its principal therapeutic applications include the management of prepubertal cryptorchidism (undescended testes not due to anatomical obstruction) and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (characterised by deficient pituitary gonadotropin secretion) in selected male populations. In females, hCG is instrumental in inducing final follicular maturation and ovulation in appropriately selected infertile women, often as a critical component of assisted reproductive technology (ART) protocols.[4] The importance of hCG in reproductive medicine is underscored by its direct action on gonadal cells, promoting steroidogenesis and gametogenesis where endogenous gonadotropic support is insufficient or mistimed.