HCG
A placental glycoprotein hormone researched for LH/hCG receptor biology, steroidogenesis, and reproductive endocrinology models.
What HCG is
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG or hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced primarily by placental trophoblast cells. It shares a receptor with luteinizing hormone (the LHCGR) and is central to corpus luteum support, progesterone production, and multiple pregnancy-associated endocrine and immune processes described in the physiologic literature.
Researchers study HCG because it is a long-acting LH-receptor agonist with well-mapped roles in reproductive biology, assisted-reproduction laboratory science, and gonadotropin-receptor pharmacology. Pharmaceutical hCG products exist as regulated medications in specific clinical settings; those approved products are distinct from bulk research-grade material.
Research-grade HCG is Research Use Only. It is not an FDA-approved finished drug product for unsupervised use, not a weight-loss drug, and not for human consumption. HCG also attracts substantial regulatory attention historically, so educational content must stay strictly factual and non-promotional. Ranges below are literature/reference values only.
HCG has been studied in human trials, which is not true of most compounds in this library. The figures below come from that work.
How it works
HCG binds the luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR), a Gs-coupled GPCR on gonadal and selected extragonadal cells. Receptor activation raises cAMP and engages steroidogenic pathways, supporting progesterone synthesis in the corpus luteum and androgen production in testicular Leydig cells. Compared with LH, hCG has a substantially longer circulating half-life, which produces more prolonged receptor stimulation in experimental and physiologic settings.
Who studies it, and why
Reproductive endocrinology, andrology, and developmental-biology laboratories are the core research users. Additional interest comes from receptor-pharmacology groups comparing LH and hCG signaling kinetics, and from labs modeling gonadotropin-dependent steroid output.
What the research examines
Each tag marks a field where this compound appears in research. Appearing in a literature is not the same as working.
How it appears in the literature
Figures as they appear in the source literature. Context matters more than the number.
| Research context | Reported amount | Frequency | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| IU-based exposures commonly referenced in reproductive-research and clinical-product literature (converted approximately for schema consistency; primary unit is IU) | 50 mcg – 500 mcg | protocol-dependent (single trigger or multi-day schedules) | subcutaneous or intramuscular |
| Lower intermittent exposures discussed in some secondary research summaries | 10 mcg – 50 mcg | several times weekly in some experimental write-ups | subcutaneous |
Handling & storage
Lyophilized HCG is typically refrigerated and protected from light. After reconstitution, keep refrigerated and use promptly according to lab SOP; glycoprotein hormones can lose activity with poor handling or repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Notes on combined research
In endocrine research designs, HCG is often examined with FSH, GnRH analogs, or androgen-pathway readouts because gonadotropin axes are multi-hormone systems. It is not conceptually a peptide stack compound in the same sense as repair or GH-axis peptides; experimental combinations usually reflect reproductive-axis physiology questions.
HCG questions
Primary literature usually reports HCG in international units (IU), not mcg. Exposures vary widely by model, from lower intermittent IU amounts to single large trigger doses. Always read the specific paper methods section.
No. Approved pharmaceutical hCG products are regulated drug products. Research-grade material is RUO laboratory supply and is not for human consumption or clinical substitution.
Both activate LHCGR, but hCG has different glycosylation and a much longer half-life, producing more sustained signaling than LH in many experimental comparisons.
Because pharmaceutical hCG is a controlled therapeutic hormone class and because historical consumer weight-loss claims around hCG have drawn repeated regulatory enforcement. Educational RUO content should remain strictly factual.
Reproductive endocrinology, fertility-lab science, testicular steroidogenesis models, and pregnancy-immune tolerance research remain active areas.
Yes. Research suppliers often provide lyophilized HCG that is reconstituted before in vitro or preclinical work. Potency is typically labeled in IU.
No. RUO HCG is not a weight-loss product, not dietary advice, and not for human use. Historical consumer weight-loss claims are outside legitimate RUO research framing.
Read the research yourself
Each citation was checked against PubMed before it went on this page. If we cannot link it, we do not claim it.
- Mechanism of human chorionic gonadotrophin-mediated immunomodulation in pregnancy.PubMed
- Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: The Pregnancy Hormone and More.PubMed
- Luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin: distinguishing unique physiologic roles.PubMed
- Luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin: origins of difference.PubMed