Role of the human chorionic gonadotropin in treating graft-versus-host disease: a brief review

Human chorionic gonadotropin is one of the primary hormones produced during pregnancy, enabling its maintenance and viability. Among its various effects on the body, it has been of particular interest in recent years its role in the immunosuppression and immunoregulation that has been noted to occur during pregnancy. Since besides preventing the body from attacking the embryo, it has been noted that there is a reduction in the activity of diseases with an autoimmune component. Hence, it has been theorized that it can be used as part of the treatment of graft-versus-host disease since it is a relatively safe molecule. There have been various studies, such as those made by Elmaagacli et al. and Holtan et al., in which the results have been promising. Still, stronger evidence obtained from randomized studies must be obtained before including it in the standard of care of international guidelines.