Study summary · research use only
Peptides Regulating Proliferative Activity and Inflammatory Pathways in the Monocyte/Macrophage THP-1 Cell Line
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
In this in vitro study using the human THP-1 monocytic cell line, researchers tested five peptides (Epitalon tetrapeptide, Vilon dipeptide, Thymogen dipeptide, Thymalin peptide complex, and Chonluten tripeptide) for effects on proliferative and inflammatory processes. All five peptides were reported to modulate proliferative signaling by increasing tyrosine phosphorylation of mitogen-activated cytoplasmic kinases. Chonluten was associated with reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production by monocytes exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and all five peptides were associated with reduced TNF and IL-6 expression stimulated by LPS in differentiated THP-1 cells. When THP-1 cells treated with the peptides were placed on LPS-activated HUVEC endothelial cells, the authors report reduced cell adhesion, and describe the peptides as candidates that may act on monocytes and macrophages during inflammatory processes.
Abstract
This study evaluates the effects of five different peptides, the Epitalon® tetrapeptide, the Vilon® dipeptide, the Thymogen® dipeptide, the Thymalin® peptide complex, and the Chonluten® tripeptide, as regulators of inflammatory and proliferative processes in the human monocytic THP-1, which is a human leukemia monocytic cell line capable of differentiating into macrophages by PMA in vitro. These peptides (Khavinson Peptides®), characterized by Prof. Khavinson from 1973 onwards, were initially isolated from animal tissues and found to be organ specific. We tested the capacity of the five peptides to influence cell cultures in vitro by incubating THP-1 cells with peptides at certain concentrations known for being effective on recipient cells in culture. We found that all five peptides can modulate key proliferative patterns, increasing tyrosine phosphorylation of mitogen-activated cytoplasmic kinases. In addition, the Chonluten tripeptide, derived from bronchial epithelial cells, inhibited in vitro tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production of monocytes exposed to pro-inflammatory bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The low TNF release by monocytes is linked to a documented mechanism of TNF tolerance, promoting attenuation of inflammatory action. Therefore, all peptides inhibited the expression of TNF and pro-inflammatory IL-6 cytokine stimulated by LPS on terminally differentiated THP-1 cells. Lastly, by incubating the THP1 cells, treated with the peptides, on a layer of activated endothelial cells (HUVECs activated by LPS), we observed a reduction in cell adhesion, a typical pro-inflammatory mechanism. Overall, the results suggest that the Khavinson Peptides® cooperate as natural inducers of TNF tolerance in monocyte, and act on macrophages as anti-inflammatory molecules during inflammatory and microbial-mediated activity.
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