Thymosin alpha 11: a peptide related to thymosin alpha 1 isolated from calf thymosin fraction 5.
Caldarella. J J; Goodall. G J GJ; Felix. A M AM; Heimer. E P EP; Salvin. S B SB; Horecker. B L BL
Key Findings
- Two related peptides were isolated from calf thymus fraction 5, one missing four amino acids and one (thymosin alpha 11) with seven extra amino acids at the C‑terminus
- Thymosin alpha 11 protects susceptible mouse strains from Candida albicans infection at doses below 300 ng
- Its potency is roughly 30‑fold higher than thymus fraction 5 and comparable to thymosin alpha‑1
Practical Outcomes
- While the mouse data suggest thymosin alpha 11 could be a very potent immune‑modulating peptide, there’s no human safety or dosing information yet. Biohackers should treat this as a promising research lead rather than a ready‑to‑use supplement, and await further studies before considering any self‑experimentation.
Summary
Scientists found a new peptide called thymosin alpha 11 that’s similar to the well‑known immune‑boosting peptide thymosin alpha‑1, but with a few extra building blocks. In mice, tiny amounts (under 300 ng) protected them from a Candida fungal infection, showing it’s about 30 times more potent than the older thymus extract and about as strong as thymosin alpha‑1. The work is still early and only in animals, so it isn’t a ready‑to‑use protocol for humans yet.
Abstract
Two peptides related to thymosin alpha 1 have been isolated from preparations of calf thymosin fraction 5. One, lacking four amino acid residues at the COOH terminus, is designated des-(25-28)-thymosin alpha 1. The other, named thymosin alpha 11, contains seven additional amino acid residues at the COOH terminus. The sequence of this peptide is: AcSer-Asp-Ala-Ala-Val-Asp-Thr-Ser-Ser-Glu-Ile-Thr-Thr-Lys-Asp-Leu- Lys-Glu-Lys- Lys-Glu-Val-Val-Glu-Glu-Ala-Glu-Asn-Gly-Arg-Glu-Ala-Pro-Ala-AsnOH. Thymosin alpha 11, in doses of less than 300 ng per mouse, protects susceptible inbred murine strains against opportunistic infections with Candida albicans. It is approximately equal to 30 times as potent as thymosin fraction 5 and approximately equal in potency to thymosin alpha 1.
Study Information
pubmed
1983
10.1073/pnas.80.24.7424