thymic-humoral-factor-gamma-2 and Immunologic-Deficiency-Syndromes

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Autoimmune Diseases; Humans; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Molecular Sequence Data; Neoplasms; Oligopeptides; Recombinant Proteins; T-Lymphocytes; Virus Diseases

Immunodeficient ageing (C57BL/10 x DBA/2)F1 mice were treated by a single injection of synthetic thymic hormones and 4 days later their thymus and spleen cells were assayed in vitro for T cell activities. A few nanograms of THF-gamma 2 were found to raise the frequency of mitogen-responsive T cells in thymus and spleen cell populations as well as the frequency of cytokine-producing splenic T cells, up to the levels observed in young mice. Moreover, injection of THF-gamma 2 was found to restore T cell growth factor (TCGF) production by mitogen-stimulated spleen cells. Also, the helper activity of spleen cells was enhanced by this treatment and increased with increasing the THF-gamma 2 dose over a wide range. Similarly, the effects of thymopentin and thymosin-alpha 1 on T helper cell activity increased with increasing the injected dose, but the efficiencies of THF-gamma 2 and thymopentin were, respectively, 400-fold and eight-fold greater than that of thymosin-alpha 1.

Topics: Aging; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Cells, Cultured; Female; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Interleukin-2; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligopeptides; T-Lymphocytes; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; Thymalfasin; Thymopentin; Thymosin; Thymus Hormones

BALB/c mice cured of large MOPC-315 plasmacytomas by melphalan remain deficient in their spleen T-cell functions. This was manifested by impairment of the allogeneic and the antibody responses in vitro to SRBC and in decreased numbers of T-cells including their subsets CD4 and CD8. IL-2 production and specific cytotoxicity against MOPC-315 tumor cells were, on the other hand, maintained. Treatment of these cured mice by in-vivo administration of THF-gamma 2, an octapeptide from calf thymus, repaired these deficits. This was evidenced by in vitro tests with spleen cells which manifested an increased allogeneic response and elevated generation of primary antibody response, restoration of T-cell subpopulations to normal and an enhanced IL-2 production above normal levels. The potential use of THF-gamma 2 as supportive therapy in cancer treatment is suggested.

Topics: Animals; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Erythrocytes; Flow Cytometry; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Interleukin-2; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; Male; Melphalan; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Transplantation; Oligopeptides; Plasmacytoma; Spleen; Thymus Hormones