Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Science, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Oct;1269:1-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06716.x.
Thymosin α1 (Tα1), a thymosin-related 28-mer synthetic amino-terminal acetylated peptide, has gained increasing interest in recent years, due to its pleiotropy. The peptide has been used worldwide as an adjuvant or immunotherapeutic agent to treat disparate human diseases, including viral infections, immunodeficiencies, and malignancies. The peptide can enhance T cell, dendritic cell (DC), and antibody responses, modulate cytokine and chemokine production, and block steroid-induced apoptosis of thymocytes. Its central role in modulating DC function and activating multiple signaling pathways that contribute to different functions may offer a plausible explanation for its pleiotropic action. Additionally, the ability of Tα1 to activate the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase enzyme-which confers immune tolerance during transplantation and restrains the vicious circle of chronic inflammation-has been a turning point, suggesting a potential, specific function in immunity. Accordingly, Tα1 has recently been shown to promote immune reconstitution and improve survival of recipients of HLA-matched sibling T cell-depleted stem cell transplants in a phase I/II clinical trial. Thus, Tα1 continues to live up to its promises.
胸腺肽 α1（Tα1）是一种与胸腺肽相关的 28 肽合成的氨基末端乙酰化肽，由于其多功能性，近年来引起了越来越多的关注。该肽已在全球范围内用作佐剂或免疫治疗剂，用于治疗包括病毒感染、免疫缺陷和恶性肿瘤在内的多种人类疾病。该肽可增强 T 细胞、树突状细胞（DC）和抗体反应，调节细胞因子和趋化因子的产生，并阻止类固醇诱导的胸腺细胞凋亡。其在调节 DC 功能和激活多种信号通路方面的核心作用，这些通路有助于发挥不同的功能，这可能为其多功能作用提供了合理的解释。此外，Tα1 激活吲哚胺 2,3-双加氧酶的能力——在移植过程中赋予免疫耐受，并抑制慢性炎症的恶性循环——是一个转折点，这表明其在免疫方面具有潜在的特定功能。因此，在一项 I/II 期临床试验中，Tα1 最近被证明可促进免疫重建并提高 HLA 匹配的同胞 T 细胞耗竭干细胞移植受者的存活率。因此，Tα1 继续不负众望。
