Figure 1.

Treatment with rhCG and uhCG impaired BMDC maturation. BMDCs were stimulated with LPS/IFN-γ in the presence or absence of different concentrations of rhCG (A) or uhCG (B) for 24 h. Unstimulated BMDCs served as controls. BMDC maturation was assessed by MHCII and CD80 expression via flow cytometry. Both hCG preparations hampered the maturation of activated BMDCs in a concentration-dependent manner. Each assay was repeated five times in duplicates. Data are presented as means plus SEM. Statistical analysis was carried out by one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.