Computer‐aided design and physiological testing of a luteinising hormone‐releasing hormone analogue for ‘adjuvant‐free’ immunocastration

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Abstract
An analogue of LHRH containing an extension of Gly‐Cys at the carboxyl‐terminus has been designed to permit reproducible coupling to a suitably modified carrier via a thioether bond. Potential energy calculations indicated that this analogue adopted a conformation in solution virtually identical to the type II′ turn around Gly‐6—Leu‐7 predicted for native LHRH. Intradermal administration of a conjugate of this analogue with purified protein derivative of tuberculin to male rats previously primed with BCG vaccine rapidly led to complete testicular regression. This adjuvant‐free immunisation protocol may represent an alternative to castration for the veterinary control of reproductive function.