title: Thymopentin modulates Th1 and Th2 cytokine response and host survival in experimental injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of thymopentin (Thy) on mortality and in vivo cytokine release in an animal model of gut-derived sepsis which includes different combinations of allogeneic blood transfusion (T) and burn injury plus bacterial gavage (BG).
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomly controlled experiments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred sixteen Balb/c (H-2d) and 50 C3H/HeJ (H-2k) mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the first study 60 Balb/c mice were given Thy (1 mg/kg). The same day of therapy onset, 40 mice were transfused with allogeneic blood (from C3H/HeJ mice). The remaining 20 mice received aliquots of saline. Five days post-T, 20 of the 40 transfused mice were subjected to a 20% TBSA thermal injury and simultaneous gavage with 1 x 10(9) Escherichia coli and the other 20 mice underwent a sham burn. The 20 nontransfused mice also received a 20% burn plus bacterial gavage. In all animals Thy was administered for 15 days. Three control groups (n = 20 each) entered the same protocol design, but they did not receive Thy. In the second study 96 animals were randomized to six groups (n = 16 each) according to the above experimental design. Animals were sacrificed by exsanguination after burn or 5 days post-T in nonburned mice to measure TNF-alpha, IL-2, and IL-4 plasma levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest mortality (70%) occurred when T was combined with BG. Thy significantly reduced mortality in both groups that underwent BG, regardless of the association with T. TNF-alpha was detectable in 30% of the tested samples, IL-2 in 50%, and IL-4 in 70%. Thy significantly reduced the levels of IL-4 and increased the production of IL-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The protective effect of Thy in this experimental model may be mediated by modulation of cytokine release.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Raffaele Hospital, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gianotti
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gentilini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fortis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Consogno
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Carlo
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002056:Burns / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D016305:Thymopentin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4; D016305:Thymopentin