Healy D L, Hodgen G D, Schulte H M, Chrousos G P, Loriaux D L, Hall N R, Goldstein A L
Science. 1983 Dec 23;222(4630):1353-5. doi: 10.1126/science.6318312.
Endotoxin-free thymosin fraction 5 elevated corticotropin, beta-endorphin, and cortisol in a dose- and time-dependent fashion when administered intravenously to prepubertal cynomolgus monkeys. Two synthetic component peptides of thymosin fraction 5 had no acute effects on pituitary function, suggesting that some other peptides in thymosin fraction 5 were responsible for its corticotropin-releasing activity. In agreement with these observations, total thymectomy of juvenile macaques was associated with decreases in plasma cortisol, corticotropin, and beta-endorphin. These findings indicate that the prepubertal primate thymus contains corticotropin-releasing activity that may contribute to a physiological immunoregulatory circuit between the developing immunological and pituitary-adrenal systems.
当向青春期前的食蟹猴静脉注射无内毒素胸腺素组分5时，它会以剂量和时间依赖性方式升高促肾上腺皮质激素、β-内啡肽和皮质醇。胸腺素组分5的两种合成成分肽对垂体功能无急性影响，这表明胸腺素组分5中的其他一些肽负责其促肾上腺皮质激素释放活性。与这些观察结果一致，幼年猕猴的全胸腺切除术与血浆皮质醇、促肾上腺皮质激素和β-内啡肽的降低有关。这些发现表明，青春期前灵长类动物的胸腺含有促肾上腺皮质激素释放活性，这可能有助于在发育中的免疫系统和垂体-肾上腺系统之间形成生理免疫调节回路。
