Peptide Price Finder

Home · Research · Inflammation & immune

Thymulin research

What published studies found for Thymulin: 10 papers, 0 in humans, with sample sizes and key results.

C
Mostly animal studies
Why: No human treatment trials; anti-inflammatory, pain and neuroprotective effects come from many mouse and rat studies.

Thymulin is a zinc-dependent thymic hormone whose anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, neuroprotective and immune effects have been shown only in mice and rats, including mouse multiple-sclerosis models and Russian rat pain and stress studies. No human treatment trials were found; the human literature consists of reviews and its use as a marker of zinc status.

✓ 7 positive~ 2 mixed? 1 inconclusive

No human safety data in the published literature; rodent studies found that low doses can increase pain sensitivity.

US compounding: Not compoundable. Not an FDA-approved drug and not nominated for FDA's 503A bulks list, so US pharmacies can't legally compound it. Status for every peptide.

Browse and filter these papersThymulin prices and vendors

Reviews

? InconclusivereviewCurr Pharm Des · 2014

Physiology and therapeutic potential of the thymic peptide thymulin.

No new dataNarrative review

Review of thymulin physiology: anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and gene-therapy approaches are supported by animal models; human therapeutic potential is yet to be assessed.

Main outcome
Physiology, neuroendocrine and anti-inflammatory actions of thymulin and gene therapy approaches
Authors' conclusion
Thymulin and its analog show anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in the CNS, and thymulin gene therapy may restore thymulin levels in thymodeficient animal models and eventually in humans.
Limitations
Narrative review; supporting evidence is from animal models.
PubMed 24588820DOI
~ MixedreviewAnn N Y Acad Sci · 2006

Role of thymulin or its analogue as a new analgesic molecule.

No new dataNarrative review of the authors' rodent studies on thymulin and its analogue PAT

Review of rodent work: low (nanogram) doses of thymulin increased pain sensitivity via inflammatory mediators, while higher doses or an analogue reduced inflammatory pain and sickness behavior.

Main outcome
Pain, hyperalgesia and inflammatory cytokines
Authors' conclusion
Low-dose thymulin caused hyperalgesia while higher doses of thymulin or the analogue PAT reduced inflammatory pain and cytokines. The authors indicate a possible therapeutic use as analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs; mechanism not fully elucidated.
Limitations
Review; mechanism of action is not fully elucidated.
PubMed 17192563DOI

Animal & lab studies

✓ PositiveanimalNat Commun · 2026

Thymulin restrains age-associated myeloid inflammation and enhances cancer immunotherapy.

Humans and animalsHeterochronic parabiosis, bone marrow chimeras, and tumor immunotherapy experiments

Thymulin declined with age and suppressed inflammatory cytokine production by aged myeloid cells; in older mice it improved tumor control and responses to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy.

Studied
Aged and young mice (and humans for myeloid cell frequency); breast tumor models
Compared with
Young vs aged hosts
Main outcome
Myeloid inflammatory cytokine production; tumor control and survival with anti-PD-L1
Authors' conclusion
Thymulin suppresses pro-inflammatory myeloid cytokine production via NF-kB inhibition and enhances antitumor T-cell immunity and anti-PD-L1 response in an age-dependent manner, suggesting a strategy to improve immunotherapy in older individuals.
Limitations
Mostly mouse data.
PubMed 42481458DOIFree full text
✓ PositiveanimalInt Immunopharmacol · 2019

Thymulin treatment attenuates inflammatory pain by modulating spinal cellular and molecular signaling pathways.

AnimalsIntraperitoneal thymulin at different doses and timings21 days

In rats with adjuvant-induced inflammation, thymulin reduced paw swelling and heat hypersensitivity and lowered spinal microglial activation and TNF-alpha/IL-6.

Studied
Rats with Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammation
Compared with
CFA without thymulin
Main outcome
Thermal hyperalgesia, paw edema, spinal microglial activity, p38 MAPK, cytokines
Authors' conclusion
Thymulin notably reduced CFA-induced thermal hyperalgesia and paw edema, probably through inhibition of spinal microglia and reduced p38 MAPK phosphorylation and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Limitations
Rat model of inflammatory pain.
PubMed 30851702DOI
✓ PositiveanimalPLoS One · 2018

Thymulin, free or bound to PBCA nanoparticles, protects mice against chronic septic inflammation.

AnimalsFree versus polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticle-bound thymulin treatment

In mice with chronic LPS-induced septic inflammation, thymulin reduced fever, inflammatory cytokines and lymphocyte death; a nanoparticle-bound form worked better in some respects.

Studied
Mice with chronic inflammation induced by gradually raised lipopolysaccharide doses
Compared with
LPS-treated untreated mice
Main outcome
Signaling pathway activity, apoptosis, cytokines, melatonin and serotonin
Authors' conclusion
Thymulin suppressed the proinflammatory response in LPS-treated mice, indicating potential for thymulin co-therapy in sepsis; nanoparticle-bound thymulin was more effective in several respects.
Limitations
Mouse LPS model.
PubMed 29795607DOIFree full text
Fig 2: Plasma cytokine levels in mice with inflammation treated with free or PBCA nanoparticle-bound thymulin.Four groups were included: untreated
Fig 2. From PMC5967805, CC BY (terms); resized.
✓ PositiveanimalInt J Immunopathol Pharmacol · 2021

Thymulin and peroxiredoxin 6 have protective effects against streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes in mice.

AnimalsProlonged treatment with thymulin or peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6)

In mice with streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes, prolonged thymulin treatment reduced physiological impairments and inflammatory cytokines.

Studied
Mice with streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes
Compared with
Untreated diabetic mice
Main outcome
Blood glucose, body weight, organ cell counts, cytokines, NF-kB and JNK activity
Authors' conclusion
Both thymulin and PRDX6 reduced physiological impairments in diabetic mice and showed anti-inflammatory functions via different mechanisms; the authors suggest possible supporting use in COVID-19 patients with diabetes.
Limitations
Mouse model; the COVID-19 suggestion is speculative.
PubMed 33779346DOIFree full text
✓ PositiveanimalSci Adv · 2020

Nanoparticle-based thymulin gene therapy therapeutically reverses key pathology of experimental allergic asthma.

AnimalsSingle intratracheal dose of thymulin-expressing plasmid in mucus-penetrating nanoparticlesAssessed 20 days after treatment

In mice with established allergic asthma, a single inhaled dose of thymulin-expressing gene therapy normalized lung inflammation, fibrosis and mechanics (gene therapy, not the peptide itself).

Studied
Mice with established experimental allergic asthma
Main outcome
Lung inflammation, fibrosis and mechanical dysregulation
Authors' conclusion
Inhaled thymulin gene therapy normalized key asthmatic lung pathology in mice through anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects, opening a possible avenue for clinical development.
Limitations
Mouse model of asthma; gene therapy, not peptide dosing.
PubMed 32577505DOIFree full text
✓ PositiveanimalInt J Mol Sci · 2019

Protective Effect of PBCA Nanoparticles Loaded with Thymulin Against the Relapsing-Remitting Form of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice.

AnimalsAnimal study comparing free thymulin and PBCA nanoparticle-bound thymulin in rEAE

In mice with relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (a multiple-sclerosis model), thymulin, especially bound to PBCA nanoparticles, eased symptoms and lowered plasma cytokines and NF-kB/JNK activation.

Studied
Mice with relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (rEAE)
Compared with
Untreated rEAE mice (and free vs nanoparticle-bound thymulin)
Main outcome
Symptom severity score, plasma cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-17), NF-kB and SAPK/JNK activation
Authors' conclusion
Thymulin significantly alleviated rEAE symptoms and lowered cytokines; the nanoparticle-bound form was more effective, and the authors consider it a prospective treatment for this pathology.
Limitations
Mouse model only; group sizes not stated in abstract.
PubMed 31671728DOIFree full text
Figure 2: The severity scores of thymulin-treated, PBCA–thymulin-treated, and untreated mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Dat
Figure 2. From PMC6862195, CC BY (terms); resized.
✓ PositiveanimalArch Biochem Biophys · 2023

Protective effect of exogenous peroxiredoxin 6 and thymic peptide thymulin on BBB conditions in an experimental model of multiple sclerosis.

AnimalsAnimal study of thymulin, peroxiredoxin 6, and both together

In mice with relapsing-remitting EAE, thymulin and peroxiredoxin 6 each improved blood-brain barrier integrity and symptoms, and giving both together produced complete symptomatic restoration.

Studied
Mice with relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Compared with
Untreated EAE mice
Main outcome
Blood-brain barrier condition (Evans blue, tight junction proteins, lymphocyte infiltration), EAE symptoms, cytokines
Authors' conclusion
Thymulin and Prdx6 improved BBB condition and EAE symptoms; together they gave complete symptomatic restoration, which the authors present as a prospective strategy for multiple sclerosis.
Limitations
Mouse model only; group sizes not stated in abstract.
PubMed 37633587DOI
~ MixedanimalВестник Российской академии медицинских наук · 2015Russian-language

Влияние тимических пептидов на анальгезию, вызванную острой и подострой иммобилизацией

AnimalsAnimal experiment comparing thymic peptides (thymulin, thymosin fraction 5, thymus extract) with saline and spleen polypeptide controls, with naloxone challengeAcute (3 h) and subacute (12 h) immobilization

In Wistar rats, thymulin raised the pain threshold in unstressed animals and blunted the further rise in threshold caused by 3 h and 12 h immobilization stress (p=0.022 and p=0.027), with a smaller opioid component of the stress analgesia.

Key resultStress-induced rise in pain threshold was smaller with thymulin than in controls (3 h immobilization p=0.022; 12 h p=0.027)
Studied
Male Wistar rats
Compared with
Saline and spleen polypeptide controls
Main outcome
Pain sensitivity (tail-flick test) and opioid component of stress-induced analgesia
Authors' conclusion
The authors concluded that pre-activation of the opioid system by thymic polypeptides raises the non-opioid share of stress analgesia and prevents opioid system exhaustion.
Limitations
Rat study; group sizes not stated in the abstract.
CyberLeninka (Russian)

Verdicts are judged on each paper's own main outcome; grades run from A (strong human evidence) to D (little or none). Details are read from the abstracts, and figures are reproduced only from openly licensed full texts. Not medical advice.