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Shen X, Wang L, Xu C, Yang J, Peng R, Hu X, Wang F, Zheng H, Lao X. Fusion of thymosin alpha 1 with mutant IgG1 CH3 prolongs half-life and enhances antitumor effects in vivo. Int Immunopharmacol 2019; 74:105662. [PMID: 31220695 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2019.05.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) is an immunomodulatory polypeptide secreted from the thymus. Tα1 has a wide range of biological functions, such as immunomodulation and endocrine regulation. Tα1 also displays antiviral and antitumor activities. Tα1 has been successfully used in clinical adjuvant therapy for solid tumors to improve the immune response of patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, the half-life of Tα1 in the body is short, so frequent administration is required to maintain efficacy. In order to improve the pharmacokinetic profile of Tα1, we linked the mutated CH3 (mCH3) fragment of IgG1 (human) to the C-terminus of Tα1 to produce a long-acting fusion protein, Tα1-mCH3. The half-life of Tα1-mCH3 (47 h) was substantially increased compared with that of the parent molecule Tα1 (3 h). In vivo studies indicated that mCH3 fusion retained the original biological activity of Tα1, and Tα1-mCH3 showed slightly better immunomodulatory effect than Ta1. In the 4 T1 and B16F10 tumor xenograft models, Tα1-mCH3 induced a greater abundance of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in tumor tissues compared with Ta1. Tα1-mCH3 exhibited better effect in promoting the production of IL-2 and IFN-γ compared with Tα1. Therefore, Tα1-mCH3 more efficiently inhibited the growth of 4 T1 and B16F10 tumors than Tα1. In conclusion, fusion with mCH3 is an attractive strategy to lengthen the half-life and increase the activity of Tα1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xutong Shen
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Liping Wang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, the First City Hospital of Chenzhou, Hunan 423000, PR China
| | - Caoying Xu
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Jiahui Yang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Renhao Peng
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Xinyi Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Fanwen Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Heng Zheng
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Xingzhen Lao
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China.
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Lewis GD, Rivera AL, Tremont-Lukats IW, Ballester-Fuentes LY, Zhang YJ, Teh BS. GBM skin metastasis: a case report and review of the literature. CNS Oncol 2017; 6:203-209. [PMID: 28718312 PMCID: PMC6009214 DOI: 10.2217/cns-2016-0042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of malignant tumor found in the brain, and acts very aggressively by quickly and diffusely infiltrating the surrounding brain parenchyma. Despite its aggressive nature, GBM is rarely found to spread extracranially and develop distant metastases. The most common sites of these rare metastases are the lungs, pleura and cervical lymph nodes. There are also a few case reports of skin metastasis. We present the clinical, imaging and pathologic features of a case of a GBM with metastasis to the soft tissue scar and skin near the original craniotomy site. In addition, we discuss the details of this case in the context of the previously reported literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary D Lewis
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Andreana L Rivera
- Department of Pathology & Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ivo W Tremont-Lukats
- Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain & Pituitary Tumors, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Yi Jonathan Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain & Pituitary Tumors, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Bin S Teh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Binsfeld M, Hannon M, Otjacques E, Humblet-Baron S, Baudoux E, Beguin Y, Baron F, Caers J. Impact of the immunomodulating peptide thymosin alpha 1 on multiple myeloma and immune recovery after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2015; 64:989-98. [PMID: 25971542 PMCID: PMC11028767 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-015-1708-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by the accumulation of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and causes several immune alterations in patients. Thymosin α1 (Tα1) is a thymic peptide that has been associated with immuno-stimulating properties. In addition, this peptide exerts anti-tumor effects in several cancer types. Beneficial effects of Tα1 administration have also been shown on immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), a current treatment modality in hematological malignancies including MM. In this study, we observed a slight reduction in the proliferation of murine and human MM cell lines in the presence of Tα1 in vitro. However, using two immunocompetent murine MM models (5TGM1 and MOPC315.BM), we did not observe any impact of Tα1 administration on MM development in vivo. Furthermore, no beneficial effects of Tα1 treatment were observed on lymphocyte immune reconstitution after transfusion of human hematopoietic stem cells into immunodeficient mice. In conclusion, despite direct effects of Tα1 on human MM cell line proliferation in vitro, Tα1 did not exert anti-myeloma effects in vivo in the two murine models tested. Moreover, Tα1 failed to improve immune recovery in a xenogeneic HSCT model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilène Binsfeld
- Laboratory of Hematology, GIGA-Research, University of Liège, Bat. B34, CHU of Liège, Avenue de l'Hôpital, 1, 4000, Liège, Belgium,
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Lao X, Liu M, Chen J, Zheng H. A tumor-penetrating peptide modification enhances the antitumor activity of thymosin alpha 1. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72242. [PMID: 23977262 PMCID: PMC3747120 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A serious limitation of numerous antitumor drugs is the incapacity to penetrate solid tumors. However, addition of an RGD fragment to peptide drugs might solve this problem. In this study, we explored whether the introduction of a permeability-enhancing sequence, such as iRGD (CRGDK/RGPD/EC) fragments, would enhance the activity of thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1). The modified Tα1 (Tα1-iRGD) was successfully expressed and purified, and the in vitro assay showed that Tα1-iRGD presented a similar activity as Tα1 in promoting proliferation of mouse splenocytes. Meanwhile, cell adhesion analysis revealed that Tα1-iRGD exhibited more specific and greater binding with tumor cells compared with Tα1. Furthermore, the iRGD fragment evidently enhanced the basal ability of Tα1 to inhibit proliferation of cancer cells in vitro, particularly of mouse melanoma cell line B16F10 and human lung cancer cell line H460. Our findings indicated that the addition of an iRGD fragment increased the anti-proliferative activity of Tα1 against cancer cells by improving the ability of Tα1 to penetrate the tumor cells. This study highlighted the important roles of an iRGD sequence in the therapeutic strategy of Tα1-iRGD. Thus, Tα1-iRGD could be a novel drug candidate for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingzhen Lao
- Department of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiang Su Province, P.R. China
| | - Meng Liu
- Department of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiang Su Province, P.R. China
| | - Jiao Chen
- Department of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiang Su Province, P.R. China
| | - Heng Zheng
- Department of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiang Su Province, P.R. China
- * E-mail:
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Li J, Cheng Y, Zhang X, Zheng L, Han Z, Li P, Xiao Y, Zhang Q, Wang F. The in vivo immunomodulatory and synergistic anti-tumor activity of thymosin α1-thymopentin fusion peptide and its binding to TLR2. Cancer Lett 2013; 337:237-47. [PMID: 23684552 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2013.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2013] [Revised: 05/01/2013] [Accepted: 05/04/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, the immunomodulatory and synergistic anti-tumor activity of thymosin α1-thymopentin fusion peptide (Tα1-TP5) was investigated in vivo. In addition, the potential receptor of Tα1-TP5 was investigated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) binding studies. It was found that Tα1-TP5 (305 μg/kg) alleviated immunosuppression induced by hydrocortisone (HC). Tα1-TP5 (305 μg/kg) combined with cyclophosphamide (CY) had a better tumor growth inhibitory effect than CY alone. Furthermore, Tα1-TP5 had a higher affinity (KD=6.84 μmol/L) to toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) than Tα1 (K(D)=35.4 μmol/L), but its affinity was not significantly different from that of TP5. The results of our present work indicate that Tα1-TP5 can possibly be developed as a new immunomodulatory agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Li
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Natural Products, Ministry of Education, Institute of Biochemical and Biotechnological Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
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Lunin SM, Novoselova EG. Thymus hormones as prospective anti-inflammatory agents. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2010; 14:775-86. [PMID: 20536297 DOI: 10.1517/14728222.2010.499127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD Inflammatory diseases are characterized by severe immune imbalances, leading to excessive or inappropriate release of mediators, which, in turn, result in massive damage to organs and systems. Effective means to control inappropriate immune reactions are often life-critical needs. Available data on the role of thymus-derived hormones in inflammation show their great potential. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW The review aims to systematize information for the last two decades on immune system regulation by thymic peptide hormones, with a primary focus on the role of these hormones in the systemic inflammatory response and inflammatory diseases. Anti-inflammatory potential of three thymic hormones - thymulin, thymosin-alpha, and thymopoietin - is discussed, reviewing recently published clinical and experimental studies. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN Our analysis revealed the regulation of inflammatory processes via thymic hormones that could be prospective for therapeutic application. This regulation may be mediated through thymic hormone effects on peripheral immune cell activities and bidirectional coupling between thymic hormones and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In view of the role of thymic hormones in immune and neuroendocrine systems, they could be suitable as therapeutic agents for inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey M Lunin
- Institute of Cell Biophysics, Pushchino, Moscow region, Russia.
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Li J, Liu CH, Wang FS. Thymosin alpha 1: biological activities, applications and genetic engineering production. Peptides 2010; 31:2151-8. [PMID: 20699109 PMCID: PMC7115394 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2010.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2010] [Revised: 07/27/2010] [Accepted: 07/27/2010] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1), a 28-amino acid peptide, was first described and characterized from calf thymuses in 1977. This peptide can enhance T-cell, dendritic cell (DC) and antibody responses, modulate cytokines and chemokines production and block steroid-induced apoptosis of thymocytes. Due to its pleiotropic biological activities, Tα1 has gained increasing interest in recent years and has been used for the treatment of various diseases in clinic. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for the production of this peptide. So far, Tα1 used in clinic is synthesized using solid phase peptide synthesis. Here, we summarize the genetic engineering methods to produce Tα1 using prokaryotic or eukaryotic expression systems. The effectiveness of these biological products in increasing the secretion of cytokines and in promoting lymphocyte proliferation were investigated in vitro studies. This opens the possibility for biotechnological production of Tα1 for the research and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Li
- Institute of Biochemical and Biotechnological Drug, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Chun Hui Liu
- Institute of Biochemical and Biotechnological Drug, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Feng Shan Wang
- Institute of Biochemical and Biotechnological Drug, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- Corresponding author at: Institute of Biochemical and Biotechnological Drug, National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China. Tel.: +86 531 88382589; fax: +86 531 88382548.
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