thymic-factor--circulating and Lung-Diseases

Inflammation is a hallmark of lung diseases. The available treatment options are unsatisfactory because they are not efficacious or induce major side effects. Alternative approaches need to be developed. Thymulin is a peptide exclusively produced in the thymus with several anti-inflammatory properties.. The physiological features of thymulin and data that support its potential as an anti-inflammatory treatment for lung diseases are reviewed.. Thymulin has consistent beneficial effects in experimental models of lung diseases. It has a broad inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory cytokines, suppresses p38 (a MAPK family member) and inhibits the activation of the NF-kappaB signal pathway. It is an attractive peptide for lung gene therapy because has no toxicity even at high doses and when expressed by adenoviral vectors reduces immune response against viral proteins.. Thymulin has a selective immunomodulatory effect, enhancing anti-inflammatory and inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines. It suppresses p38 (implicated in glucocorticoid-resistance) and inhibits NF-kappaB activation, which has an important pathogenic role in several lung diseases. The broad spectrum of anti-inflammatory effects of this peptide in several animal models of lung disease makes thymulin a good candidate for future clinical trials.

Topics: Animals; Humans; Immunologic Factors; Inflammation; Lung Diseases; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Signal Transduction; Thymic Factor, Circulating

A total of 35 patients with non-specific pulmonary diseases were examined. Twenty-one patients were administered thymalin in addition to standard treatment. Fourteen subjects made up a control group. Immunologic studies made it possible to establish that administration of thymalin in relatively small doses (5 ml, 4-6 injections per treatment course) is an effective means of correcting the decreased characteristics of cellular immunity, favouring the normalization of the lymphocyte count and of the proportion of OKT-4+ and OKT-8+ subpopulations. The drug was found to exert no substantial effect on the other characteristics of immunity, namely on chemotaxis and phagocytosis of leukocytes, the content of immunoglobulins and on circulating immune complexes. Thymalin produced an appreciably beneficial action on the disease course in patients with preserved function of the phagocytic component.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Blood Cell Count; Chemotaxis; Female; Humans; Lung Diseases; Lymphocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Phagocytosis; Thymus Hormones

The effect of cytochrome C, thymalin and their combination has been studied concerning morphofunctional state of alveolocytes of the II type (A II) in the lungs of 33 non-inbred white rats at the pulmonary form of oxygen poisoning. The phenomenon develops, when the animals are in pure oxygen under pressure of 0.25 MPa for 10 h. The ultrastructural stereological analysis demonstrates that after exposure of the mice in the barochamber, immediately after decompression and during the 1st and the 3d day in the animals not given the pharmacological preparations in the A II diffuse and local edema develops in hyaloplasm, certain changes develop in mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. Comparing to intact animals, a relative volume of the lamellar bodies decreases nearly two times, the volume of mitochondria increases by 1.5 times, amount of A II drops. While treating the pulmonary form of oxygen poisoning with cytochrome C or thymalin, in 3 days after beginning to administer the preparations, the relative volume of the lamellar bodies increase by 1.5 times in comparison with those in the group of untreated animals, and at the combined administration-by 2.5 times. This demonstrates stimulation of the pulmonary surfactant synthesis. When the preparations are applied together, by the 3d day the relative volume of mitochondria and amount of A II do not differ from the corresponding indices in intact animals.

Topics: Animals; Atmosphere Exposure Chambers; Cytochrome c Group; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drug Therapy, Combination; Lung Diseases; Mice; Microscopy, Electron; Oxygen; Pulmonary Alveoli; Thymus Hormones; Time Factors

Ninety-eight patients with different patterns of chronic nonspecific pulmonary diseases (CNPD) were examined for thymus-dependent immunity. The clinical manifestations of T lymphocyte dysfunction included a torpid recurrent inflammatory process in the respiratory system, respiratory viral infections, short-term efficacy of antibacterial drugs. The patients demonstrated a decrease in the number of T lymphocytes, in production of immune interferon, and in secretion of serum thymic humoral factor. Application of tactivin, a new immunomodulator, is an effective approach to correction of the disorders enumerated. The drug has a beneficial effect on inflammatory process, reduces the symptoms of virus-induced intoxication. Administration of repeated tactivin treatment made it possible to shorten the time of repeated tactivin treatment made it possible to shorten the time of staying at hospital, to reduce the frequency of CNPD relapses from 80 to 36% within the period from 2 months to 1.5 years. This permits recommending the drug during resistance to antibiotic therapy.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Adolescent; Adult; Chronic Disease; Combined Modality Therapy; Drug Evaluation; Female; Humans; Immunity, Cellular; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Interferon Type I; Leukocyte Count; Lung Diseases; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Middle Aged; Peptides; T-Lymphocytes; Thymic Factor, Circulating; Thymus Extracts