thymosin and Burns

With the aging of population and the development of social economy, the incidence of chronic wounds is increasing day by day, while the incidence of burns and trauma remains at a high level, making wound repair an increasingly concerned area in clinical practice. Thymosin β4 is a naturally occurring small molecule protein in vivo, which is widely distributed in a variety of body fluids and cells, especially in platelets. Thymosin β4 has biological activities of promoting angiogenesis, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-fibrosis, and has many important functions in wound repair. Thymosin β4 has been observed to promote the healing of various wounds, such as burns, diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers. This paper will review the molecular structure, mechanism of wound healing promotion, pharmacokinetics, and clinical application of thymosin β4, aiming to introduce its potential in wound treatment and the shortcomings of current researches.. 随着人口老龄化和社会经济的发展，慢性创面发病率日益增高，同时烧创伤发病率仍处于较高水平，使得创面修复成为临床日益关注的领域。胸腺素β4是一种体内天然存在的小分子蛋白，其广泛分布于多种体液和细胞内，尤其是血小板中。胸腺素β4具有促进血管生成、抗炎、抗凋亡及抗纤维化的生物活性，在创面修复方面有许多重要的功能。目前已经在烧伤、糖尿病溃疡、压疮等多种创面中观察到胸腺素β4具有促进愈合的作用。该文将从胸腺素β4的分子结构、促创面愈合作用机制、药代动力学及临床应用方面进行综述，旨在介绍该因子在创面治疗中的潜力和当前研究的不足之处。.

Topics: Burns; Humans; Pressure Ulcer; Thymosin; Wound Healing

No agent has been identified that significantly accelerates the repair of chronic dermal wounds in humans. Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) is a small, abundant, naturally occurring regenerative protein that is found in body fluids and inside cells. It was found to have angiogenic and antiinflammatory activity and to be high in platelets that aggregate at the wound site. Thus we used Tβ4 initially in dermal healing. It has since been shown to have many activities important in tissue protection, repair, and regeneration. Tβ4 increases the rate of dermal healing in various preclinical animal models, including diabetic and aged animals, and is active for burns as well. Tβ4 also accelerated the rate of repair in phase 2 trials with patients having pressure ulcers, stasis ulcers, and epidermolysis bullosa wounds. It is safe and well tolerated and will likely have additional uses in the skin and in injured organs for tissue repair and regeneration.

Topics: Animals; Burns; Catalytic Domain; Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; Humans; Receptors, Immunologic; Skin; Thymosin; Wound Healing

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of thymosin

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Burns; Humans; Lactates; Myocardium; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Ringer's Solution; STAT1 Transcription Factor; STAT3 Transcription Factor; Thymosin

Rapid vascular remodelling of damaged dermal tissue is required to heal burn wounds. Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is a growth factor that has been shown to promote angiogenesis and dermal wound repair. However, the underlying mechanisms based on Tβ4 function have not yet been fully investigated. In the present study, we investigated how Tβ4 improves dermal burn wound healing via actin cytoskeletal remodelling and the action of heat-shock proteins (HSPs), which are a vital set of chaperone proteins that respond to heat shock. Our in vitro results achieved with the use of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) revealed a possible signal between Tβ4 and HSP70. Moreover, we confirmed that remodelling of filamentous actin (F-actin) was regulated by Tβ4-induced HSP70 in HUVECs. Based on these in vitro results, we confirmed the healing effects of Tβ4 in an adapted dermal burn wound in vivo model. Tβ4 improved wound-healing markers, such as wound closure and vascularization. Moreover, Tβ4 maintained the long-term expression of HSP70, which is associated with F-actin regulation during the wound-healing period. These results suggest that an association between Tβ4 and HSP70 is responsible for the healing of burn wounds, and that this association may regulate F-actin remodelling. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Topics: Actin Cytoskeleton; Animals; Biomarkers; Burns; Cell Survival; Dermis; Disease Models, Animal; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; Humans; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Models, Biological; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Phosphorylation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Signal Transduction; Thymosin; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Wound Healing

To investigate the effect of Thymosin and growth hormone(GH) on inflammatory response in burn rats or burn rats with sepsis.. Sixty-four SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group (NC, without treatment), sepsis group (S, with injection of LPS), sepsis + Thymosin group (ST, with successive injection of Thymosin and LPS), sepsis + GH group [SGH, with successive injection of recombinant human GH (rhGH) and LPS], burn group, burn + sepsis group (BS, with injection of LPS after burn), burn + sepsis + Thymosin group (BST, with successive injection of Thymosin and LPS after burn), burn + sepsis + GH (BSGH, with successive injection of rhGH and LPS after burn), with 8 rats in each group. Specimens of spleen tissues were harvested to determine HLA-DR in lymphocyte and evaluate inflammatory cell infiltration (score). Specimens of peripheral blood were collected to determine Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) level in monocyte and serum level of TNF-alpha, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10.. Compared with those in NC group, serum level of IL-10 in S group decreased obviously, while other indices increased obviously (P < 0.01). The levels of HLA-DR and TLR4 and serum level of TNF-alpha were similar between SGH and ST groups (P > 0.05). Compared with those in SGH group [(2.87 +/- 0.04) score, and IL-6 (0.0083 +/- 0.0018) microg/mg, IL-4 (0.0102 +/- 0.0021) microg/mg, IL-10 (0.0310 +/- 0.0027) microg/mg, respectively], degree of inflammatory cell infiltration (1.50 +/- 0.76) score and serum levels of IL-6, IL-4, IL-10 of rats in ST group decreased obviously (0.0064 +/- 0.0012, 0.0058 +/- 0.0024, 0.0230 +/- 0.0021 microg/mg, respectively, P < 0.01). The levels of HLA-DR, TLR4 and inflammatory cell infiltration degree of spleen in B group were respectively higher than those in NC group and lower than those in BS group. Compared with those in NC group, serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6 in B group increased significantly, while IL-4, IL-10 showed an opposite tendency. There was no obvious difference between BST and BSGH groups in serum levels of HLA-DR and IL-6 (P > 0.05). Compared with those in BST group, inflammatory cell infiltration degree in spleen and the levels of TLR, TNF-alpha obviously decreased (P < 0.01), while IL-4 and IL-10 levels increased in BSGH group (P < 0.01).. Inhibitive effects between Thymosin and GH on extensive inflammatory reaction were similar with or without trauma, and GH has better effect as compared with Thymosin when with trauma.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Burns; Human Growth Hormone; Inflammation; Male; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sepsis; Thymosin

Patients with severe thermal burns demonstrate a decreased cellular immunity. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether thymosin enhances in vitro T-lymphocyte functions in such patients. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained serially from 22 burned patients and 35 health adults. In vitro lymphocyte functions were evaluated by E-rosette formation, lymphocyte culture responses to PHA, Con A, PWM, PPD, SK-SD, mumps antigen, and tetanus toxoid, and mixed lymphocyte culture reactions. These tests were performed with and without in vitro addition of thymosin. Most of the parameters examined were significantly decreased in patients during the first 2 weeks postburn. The in vitro addition of thymosin significantly restored impaired lymphocyte responses, except in mixed lymphocyte culture reactions. These results demonstrate that thymosin enhances certain in vitro T-lymphocyte functions in burned patients. They further suggest that the administration of thymosin may restore decreased cell-mediated immunity in severely burned patients.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Burns; Humans; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; Middle Aged; Rosette Formation; T-Lymphocytes; Tetanus Toxoid; Thymosin; Thymus Hormones

In preparation for the use of bovine thymosin, a thymic hormone, as a specific T cell stimulator in immunodepressed patients, we studied its effect on E rosette formation of peripheral lymphocytes from patients with (1) advanced malignancies, (2) extensive burns, and (3) septicemia. E rosette formation in vitro with and without thymosin was evaluated in 52 patients with carcinoma of the breast (25) or lung (27) in relation to adjuvant therapy and/or surgery. The depression of E rosettes in cancer patients was most striking when adjuvant therapy, irradiation, and/or chemotherapy were used; in 20 patients this was elevated by incubation with thymosin. There was a delay in recovery of depressed E rosette levels after radical mastectomies in four patients, recovery being accelerated by thymosin. In ten burn patients (40 to 80 percent of body surface area, second and third degree burns), the depression in E rosette levels occurred in the first week and was most marked in 3 to 4 weeks. In eight patients this was elevated by thymosin in vitro. In four septic patients, all undergoing operation, serial studies suggested that recovery from sepsis was accompanied by spontaneous rise in E rosette levels. This process was accelerated by thymosin in vitro. This study as well as previous experiments with animals suggest that thymosin may influence depressed host resistance favorably by increasing T-cell-mediated immunity.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Breast Neoplasms; Burns; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Immune Adherence Reaction; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; In Vitro Techniques; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Sepsis; T-Lymphocytes; Thymosin; Thymus Extracts