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Thymic PeptidesThe thymus gland, where the peptides are manufactured in the body, is important in the normal development of immunological function, including T cells, which are responsible for cell-mediated immunity. Aging is associated with the shrinkage of the thymus gland, resulting in a reduction of thymic hormones and the progressive decline in immune function. In fact, many in the anti aging community consider the shrinkage of the thymus gland as one of the main bio-markers of aging. The peak weight of the gland is reached during puberty to age 20, and the shrinkage happens through-out life thereafter. Research has demonstrated that there is a significant drop in blood thymosin (thymic peptide hormone) levels in normal individuals between the ages of 20 and 40. Same type of decline has been shown for other of these peptides, such as Thymulin. There are several different peptide hormones, and have been shown, in human, animal and in vitro studies, to have a broad range of action, well beyond merely maturing and differentiating T cells. From potential supplementation perspective, it is important to notice that no single thymus gland hormone by itself has been found in research to be capable of performing all the immune-optimizing functions induced by the thymus gland family of hormones as a whole. Thymic Peptides - StudiesSchulof RS. Thymic peptide hormones: basic properties and clinical applications in cancer. Crit Rev in Oncol Hematol 1985;3:309-76 Ghanta VK, Hiramoto NS, Hiramoto RN. Thymic peptides as anti-aging drugs: effect of thymic hormones on immunity and life span. Int J Neurosci 1990, 51(3-4):371-2. Meites J. Anti-ageing interventions and their neuroendocrine aspects in mammals. J. Reprod. Fertil., Suppl 1993, 46:1-9. M. Sztein et al. Modulation of Interleukin 2 Receptor Expression on Normal Human Lymphocytes by Thymic Hormones. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 83, 6107-11, 1986. N. Kouttab et al. Thymomodulin: Biological Properties and Clinical Applications. Med. Oncol. and Tumor Pharmacother. 6, 5-9, 1989. M. Zatz & A. Goldstein. Mechanism of Action of Thymosin. J. Immunol., 134, 1032-38, 1985. K. Kelly et al. A pituitary- Thymus Connection During Aging. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 521, 88-98, 1988. P. Cazzola et al. In Vivo Modulating Effect of a Calf Thymus Acid Lysate on Human T Lymphocyte Subsets and CD4+/ CD8+ Ratio in the Course of Different Diseases. Curr. Ther. Res., 42, 1011-17, 1987. Z. Fahmy. Immunostimulation therapy with Thymus Extract in rheumatoid arthritis. Erfahrungsheilkunde, Vol. 31, No 5, May 1982, pp. 423-427.
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