[Thymic factors influence on melatonin-producing pineal function in mice of different age: the possible mechanisms].
Labunets. I F IF
Key Findings
- One injection of thymalin increased melatonin serum levels at 3 h in adult mice, then reduced them at 24 h.
- The melatonin boost correlated with higher thymic serum factor (FTS/thymulin) and lower corticosterone, and varied with season.
- Old mice showed no melatonin response to thymalin despite an increase in FTS and unchanged corticosterone.
Practical Outcomes
- Thymalin may temporarily raise melatonin in healthy adult mammals, suggesting a possible short‑term strategy for enhancing sleep or circadian support, but the effect is modest, season‑dependent, and absent in older subjects. More human data are needed before recommending dosage or timing for biohackers.
Summary
In adult mice, a single shot of the peptide mix called thymalin briefly raised blood melatonin levels after 3 hours and lowered them after 24 hours. This boost was linked to higher thymic factor (FTS) and lower stress hormone (corticosterone) and seemed to work better in certain seasons. The same treatment didn’t help older mice, even though their FTS went up.
Abstract
The aging peculiarities of thymic factors influence on pineal gland function in CBA mice were investigated. Significant increase of melatonin serum level in 3 h and decrease in 24 h after one injection of thymic preparation "thymalin" in adult mice was shown. The activating influence of thymalin was depended on season and linked with increase of thymic serum factor (FTS, thymulin) level and decrease of corticosterone blood level. Thymic stroma supernatant of adult mice, which had high level of FTS, intensified in vitro melatonin-producing pineal function. The activating influence of thymic factors in vivo and in vitro on pineal function in old mice was not revealed. FTS content increased and cortocosterone level did not change in old mice after injection of thymalin. The mechanisms of thymic factors influence on melatonin level in adult organism and their peculiarities in aging were discussed.
Study Information
pubmed
2007