Increase of mouse resistance to Candida albicans infection by thymosin alpha 1.
Bistoni. F F; Marconi. P P; Frati. L L; Bonmassar. E E; Garaci. E E
Key Findings
- A single pre‑dose of 100 µg/kg thymosin‑alpha‑1 significantly improves mouse survival after a lethal Candida albicans challenge.
- Administering thymosin‑alpha‑1 after infection provides no protective effect.
- Thymosin‑alpha‑1 also rescues mice whose immunity was suppressed by cyclophosphamide, but only when given before the fungal exposure.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, this suggests thymosin‑alpha‑1 could act as a preventive immune‑boosting agent rather than a treatment for active infections. However, the data are from mice, the effective timing is before exposure, and human dosing is unknown, so any protocol would be experimental and should be approached with caution.
Summary
In mice, giving thymosin‑alpha‑1 before they are exposed to a deadly Candida fungus helps them survive, but giving it after infection does nothing. The benefit works at a specific dose (about 100 µg per kg) and also protects mice whose immune systems were weakened by a chemotherapy drug.
Abstract
Studies were carried out to assess the ability of thymosin alpha 1 to prolong the survival of mice challenged with Candida albicans. Two- to four-month-old mice were treated with graded doses of thymosin alpha 1 before, after, or before and after intravenous challenge with C. albicans. Significant resistance ot lethal infection was afforded by 100 micrograms of thymosin alpha 1 per kg given before or before and after challenge, whereas no protection was found in mice treated with thymosin alpha 1 administered at any dose level after inoculation. Pretreatment with thymosin alpha 1 also prevented the increased susceptibility to C. albicans infection of mice pretreated with cyclophosphamide on day -6. The results showed that thymosin alpha 1 was capable of protecting untreated or cyclophosphamide-pretreated mice from C. albicans infection at an optimal dose and schedule of administration.
Study Information
pubmed
1982
1982-05-01T00:00:00.000Z
10.1128/iai.36.2.609-614.1982
41
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