hCG

hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, is a glycoprotein hormone of about 36.7 kDa made of two subunits, alpha and beta. CAS 9002-61-3. It is not a conventional linear peptide. Astramide supplies it as a lyophilized powder for laboratory research use only. It is not intended for human or animal consumption, clinical use, or therapeutic application.

X-ray crystallography showed that each hCG subunit folds around a cystine knot, and that a segment of the beta subunit wraps around the alpha subunit and is fixed by a disulfide bond, a feature the authors linked to subunit association and receptor binding (Lapthorn et al., 1994, PMID 8202136). This is structural work. Astramide makes no claim about outcomes in humans.

Lot 26044 returned 99.64% purity for the 10,000 IU vial, tested by an independent third-party laboratory. The report is dated 2 March 2026 and carries verification key WYD260104GN044. The full Certificate of Analysis is published on the lot record and is downloadable as a PDF.

The label claim is 10,000 IU. Lot 26044 measured 10,605.14 IU, about 106% of label. hCG is measured in international units, a unit of biological activity, rather than milligrams. Astramide publishes the measured figure for every lot. Content is a separate question from purity.

Lot 26044 was analysed by an independent third-party laboratory for purity and IU content. Identity by mass spectrometry and endotoxin were not performed on this lot, and the lot record shows both as not reported. The full report is published on the lot record.

Store lyophilized hCG at 2 to 8C, protected from light, as printed on the vial label. Longer holding at -20C is common practice for lyophilized material. Once reconstituted, storage is 2 to 8C with use within 14 to 30 days. Storage conditions affect stability.

These are separate classifications. Research-grade material is supplied for laboratory research use only and is not manufactured, tested or released under the regulatory framework that governs drugs for human use. Pharmaceutical-grade is an FDA classification for human-use products. Astramide supplies research-grade material exclusively and does not represent it as pharmaceutical-grade.

Not in the strict sense. hCG is a glycoprotein hormone. Its two protein chains, a 92-residue alpha subunit shared with LH, FSH and TSH and a beta subunit of about 145 residues specific to hCG, carry sugar chains that make up a large share of its mass. It is often sold and searched as a peptide, but it is characterised as a glycoprotein.