Management of reproduction: indications of gonadotropin use and possible side effects of repeated administration: a review

Gonadotropins of pituitary origin (follitropin -FSH-, lutropin -LH-, human menopausal gonadotropin -hMG) or trophoblastic origin (human chorionic gona dotropin hCG- also called pregnant urine gonadotropin -pU-, equine chorioni c gonadotropin -eCG- also called pregnant mare serum gonadotropin -PMSG-) a re largely used to treat infertility or to better control sexuality in vari ous species of mammals: bovine, canine, caprine, equine, feline, human, ovi ne, porcine, rabbit, ... This manuscript reports the discovery of these mol ecules, describes their biochemical characteristics and gives the main indi cations (e.g. oestrus induction and synchronization, ovulation, superovulat ion, fertility improvement, ancestrus treatment, receptivity induction) in animals and human. Litterature data reporting on effects and possible side effects of their repeated use are presented. Due to slight differences in a mino acids sequences, carbohydrates contents and tridimentionnal structures , repeated use of exogeneous gonadotropins may induce immunological reactio ns leading to non specific reactions and lower biological response. A refle ction concludes this revue, pointing out the positive influence of the phil ogenetic distance existing between the species origin of the gonadotropin ( human or equine) and the treated one, on the intensity of the immune reacti on.