thymalfasin and Acute-Disease

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is an acute inflammatory disease with prolonged clinical course, which is complicated by the presence of persistent organ failure and severe infection. Infection mainly occurs in the late phase of SAP and it is found to be the main cause of death. Therefore, developing strategies for the prevention of SAP-related infection has been a crucial approach to improve patients' outcomes. Due to remarkable immune-cells-regulating properties, thymosin α1 has been recognized as a promising immune therapy, especially in several infectious diseases. Recently, thymosin α1 has been given high expectations to exert clinical benefits in the prevention of SAP-related infection.. The review of currently available strategies for SAP-related infection prevention and the use of thymosin α1 in SAP patients.. The current available strategies achieve limited success for preventing SAP-related infection. A possible explanation is that the trigger of infection, immunosuppression has not been concurrently resolved. The application of thymosin α1 in a clinical study showed a prophylactic effect against SAP-related infection. However, the use of thymosin α1 in SAP patients is still at an early stage of clinical investigation and requires high-quality and large sample size evidences.

Topics: Acute Disease; Chemoprevention; Humans; Infections; Pancreatitis; Sepsis; Severity of Illness Index; Thymalfasin

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thymosin alpha 1 (TA1) on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in rats.. Healthy Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 72) were randomly divided into four groups: control group, SAP group, and two TA1 treated groups. SAP was induced by injection of 5% sterile sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct (BPD), after which TA1 was given subcutaneously at 0 and 2 h at a dose of 100 microg/kg. The rats were killed at 3, 6 and 12 h, respectively. Serum amylase and lipase, interleukin (IL)-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), pancreatic wet/dry weight ratio and the percentage of CD3/CD4+/CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were measured. Next, 30 rats were randomly divided into three groups (each group containing 10 animals): SAP group (S) and two TA1 treated groups. The effects of TA1 on the survival of SAP were assessed 72 h after the induction of SAP.. There was no significant change in the serum amylase and lipase levels after TA1 administration. Levels of serum IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and pancreatic wet/dry weight ratio were significantly reduced after TA1-treatment. Application of TA1 significantly balanced CD3/CD4+/CD8+ T cells of PBMC and improved histological scores and the survival rate.. TA1 can reduce pancreatic inflammation by regulating differentiation of CD3/CD4+ T cells and decreasing the release of cytokines, thus attenuates pancreatic severity in SAP rats.

Topics: Acute Disease; Amylases; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; CD3 Complex; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; CD4-CD8 Ratio; Disease Models, Animal; Interleukin-1beta; Lipase; Lung; Male; Organ Size; Pancreas; Pancreatitis; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Severity of Illness Index; T-Lymphocytes; Taurocholic Acid; Thymalfasin; Thymosin; Time Factors; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha