Study summary · research use only
Thymalfasin: an immune system enhancer for the treatment of liver disease
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review article discusses thymalfasin (thymosin-alpha 1), described as an immunomodulating agent that enhances the Th1 immune response. The authors summarize its evaluation in several conditions, including chronic hepatitis B and C, AIDS, primary immunodeficiency diseases, depressed vaccination response, and cancer, and describe reported effects on numerous immune-system parameters and on T-cell differentiation and maturation. They note reconstitution of immune function when thymic tissue is restored to thymectomized animals, and report described antitumor actions in animal models of hepatitis, influenza, melanoma, and colorectal carcinoma. It is a narrative overview rather than a report of new experiments.
Abstract
Thymalfasin (thymosin-alpha 1) is an immunomodulating agent able to enhance the Thl immune response. It has been evaluated for its immunomodulatory activities and related therapeutic potential in several diseases, including chronic hepatitis B and C, AIDS, primary immunodeficiency diseases, depressed response to vaccination and cancer. The basis for effectiveness in these conditions is primarily through modulation of immunological responsiveness, as thymalfasin has been shown to have beneficial effects on numerous immune system parameters and to increase T-cell differentiation and maturation. Thymalfasin is responsible for reconstitution of immune function when thymic tissue is given back to thymectomized animals. In addition, thymalfasin has been shown to have efficacy in multiple experimental models of immune dysfunction, mainly, infectious diseases such as hepatitis (woodchuck) and influenza (mouse), and cancer such as melanoma (mouse) and colorectal carcinoma (rat) where thymalfasin has shown antitumor effects.
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