Effects of growth hormone on the adult canine thymus.
Monroe. W E WE; Roth. J A JA; Grier. R L RL; Arp. L H LH; Naylor. P H PH
Key Findings
- Growth hormone caused thymus tissue to regenerate in adult dogs
- Control dogs also showed some thymus regeneration, but less consistently
- White blood cell counts stayed the same in both groups
- Serum thymosin‑alpha‑1 levels fell during treatment and were similar across groups
Practical Outcomes
- The results don’t give a clear, actionable way to use thymosin‑alpha‑1 or growth hormone for boosting immunity in people. It suggests GH won’t raise thymosin‑alpha‑1 levels and may even reduce them, so biohackers should not rely on this approach for immune benefits.
Summary
A study in adult dogs found that giving bovine growth hormone helped the thymus (an immune organ) look more like that of a young dog, but it didn’t change white‑blood‑cell counts and actually lowered the blood level of the peptide thymosin‑alpha‑1. The control dogs got some thymus regeneration too, and there was no difference in thymosin‑alpha‑1 between groups.
Abstract
The ability of bovine growth hormone therapy to stimulate regeneration of age involuted thymus glands in adult dogs was evaluated. The thymuses of growth hormone treated dogs regenerated, resembling thymic tissue of young dogs. Some of the thymuses of bovine serum albumin treated control dogs also regenerated, but only 2 of 5 control dogs had marked regeneration. White blood cell counts in peripheral blood were not different between groups. Serum thymosin alpha 1 concentrations were not different between groups, but decreased in each group during the treatment period.
Study Information
pubmed
1987