hCG and Vision

Here's an article on hCG and the human Retina.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0052567

I am concerned because I believe it says that hCG can be harmful for the Retina.

Extracts:

hCG and Retinoblastoma Proliferation

When treated with hCG, Y79 showed an increased proliferation as revealed by wst1 assay (Figure 6). After 60 hours of treatment (light blue bars), the effect was statistically significant with 10 mU/ml of hCG only, while after 120 hours (middle blue bars), the proliferation was significantly increased with hCG concentration ranging from 0,1 mIU/ml to 10 IU/ml. After 240 hours hCG treatment had no statistical effect on retinoblastoma proliferation as values were comparable to the control situation (deep blue bars).

Here's another extract:

In addition, we found LHR expressed at the surface of human retinoblastoma cell lines and demonstrated the positive action of hCG on the proliferation of these cancer cells derived from cone photoreceptors, an effect that was inhibit by anti-LHR co-treatment.


Basically, it says hCG is very active in the Retina and causes the cells in the retina (especially the photoreceptor cells to multiply, this leading to retinoblastoma -- a cancer of the Retina).

Disclaimer: I'm poor at interpreting these complex studies. I am a Glaucoma suspect (a disease of the Retina and the Optic Nerve), and I came across this article when researching ocular conditions and hCG. One of the first things I look for are the negative aspects / dangers / side-effects of the therapy, and hence I've posted this article.

It would be very helpful if the experts here could take a few minutes to put this article in context and share their views.

Mocha

Thanks for sending this amazing paper. Let me digest it and I will get back to you.

HCG may actually lower intraocular (inside the eye) pressure that is usually high in glaucoma. Pregnant women's bodies produce a lot of HCG. They have seen stable or improved eye pressure in women with glaucoma who are pregnant.

[h=4]hCG and Ocular Pressure[/b]It has been shown for many years that hCG injection lowers intraocular pressure (IOP) in rabbit[51], [52]. The mechanism of action was unknown and LHR was not yet identified within the retina, therefore some authors suggested that hCG action was due to a purity artifact as the results were not mimics by the LH [53]. However intraventricular, but not intravenous injection, of gonadotropin releasing hormone mimic the IOP decrease [54], demonstrating the specificity of hCG action in this mechanism. Interestingly pregnancy is usually associated with relatively lower IOP, but the mechanism of action is not yet identified [55], [56]. In women with preexisting glaucoma condition, IOP remain stable despite a reduction in the number of hypotensive agents during pregnancy [57]. Gonadotropin injection may therefore consist in a pressure lowering agent in the treatment of glaucomatous pathologies as suggested many years ago [58], [59]. Further study on the localization of LHR receptor within the structures involved in the regulation of ocular pressure (ciliary body, trabecular meshwork and vasculature) would help to decipher the cascade of events leading to IOP reduction."

Women who use HCG to improve fertility use high doses of this peptide (5000-10000 IU per week). Even with these doses, the incidence of retina cancer in children born after women used high dose HCG is low.

[h=4]"hCG and Retinoblastoma[/b]We observed that hCG treatment increased, via LHR, the proliferation of Y79 retinoblastoma cell line in vitro. This may suggest a potential risk of gonadotropin use in women infertility treatment on the incidence of this malignant tumor occurrence. Retinoblastoma account for 11% of cancer cases in the first four years of life [62] and a link with in vitro fertilization has been pointed out by several authors [63]–[65]. However, other studies did not established a clear link with this specific type of cancer [66]–[68] even if the increased risk of pediatric cancers after infertility treatment have been globally demonstrated [69]. The discrepancy between the studies may be due to the low incidence of this disease (1 out of 15–20 000 children) leading to only few cases of retinoblastoma after infertility treatment. For instance, in the work of Foix-L’hélias (2012), only 8% of the retinoblastoma cases studied (20 out of 244) occurred in children whom mothers had undergone various infertility treatments [68]. Our finding suggests that future studies on the potential hazard of gonadotropins used for ovarian stimulation should take into account the exact protocol of the hormonal treatment (length, type and concentration of gonadotropins)."

The best part of this paper is the introduction that describes the effects of HCG on the CNS and other tissues. I have been trying to find good references on this, so thanks for this great find.

"The α subunit of hCG is identical to α subunits of other human glycoproteins: luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH); the β subunit therefore provides hormonal specificity [1]. In the past decades, aside from its role in pregnancy, several reports showed that hCG together with LH elicit multiple effects in the central nervous system [2]. Many of the behavioral changes induced by hCG injection in rats parallel those observed in pregnant women [3] and some of these behavioral effects are correlated with changes of eicosanoid metabolism induced by LH and hCG in the brain [4]. Administration of gonadotropins can induce appetite loss, facilitation of extinction of the conditioned avoidance response, decreased exploratory activity, and decreased electrical activity of the brain [5]–[8]. In addition, trophic effects of hCG have been identified during development, neuroregenerative processes and tumorigenesis in CNS. Culturing fetal brain neurons, in the presence of highly purified hCG, resulted in a dose-dependent increase of survival and of neurite outgrowth [9]. Treatment of rats with hCG after a complete transection of the spinal cord induced the presence of nerve fibers in the bridging tissue suggesting that hCG might be useful in functional recovery for patients with paraplegia[10]. "

All this goes to show that LH and HCG have significant effects in the body and doe far more than keeping testicular volume in men.

We have known for sometime that LH/HCG impacts the peripheral part of the brain and why men have a great sense of well being and even increased libido when using HCG.

HCG, as an LH analog, is responsible for converting Cholesterol into Pregnenolone.

We have LH receptor throughout our blood vessels and they are there for a reason.

This, and for many other reasons, is why I am such a proponent of HCG in TRT.

another great post!

Thanks for this it helps.

Hi Nelson,

Thank you for the response. Your posts are comforting. Just today, I received your book from Amazon – “T – A Man's Guide.” It's going be a fascinating read.

Here's what I extrapolate (from your posts and from the paper):

1. Dosage: Women take 10 times higher dose of hCG (during fertility treatment) than what most males take for TRT (which is 500IU to 1000 IU per week).

2. Disease: Retinoblastoma is an extremely rare condition (1 in every 15-20000 infants get the disease).

3. Population: Retinoblastoma affects infants more than it affects adults. As per the available literature (until 2011), only 23 adult cases have been documented [1].

// Considering points 2 and 3 (Disease and Population), it's safe to conclude that this is among the rarest of rare cancers for adults.

4. Data: I don't believe we have even a single study, or a single anecdotal event, that suggests hCG administration is bad for the Retina (with the exception of the study in question (which is not directly relevant for TRT)).

The news is good.

Nelson / Gene:

Are there any studies (or anecdotes) that show a link between hCG injections and cancers in adults? I looked hard, but didn't find any. I ask because high levels of hCG are usually found in germ cell cancers [2]. Obviously, it doesn't correlate – but you guys know better.

HCG used to be prescribed to treat a cancer that used to be common in HIV (Kaposi Sarcoma).

AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma patients with visceral manifestations. Response to human chorionic gonadotropin preparations.

That's actually pretty cool. Thanks for that link.