title: [Effects of thymosin alpha-1 on radiation-induced pneumonitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Radiation-induced lung injure is one of the major factors of limitation in radiotherapy for lung cancer. Whether the use of thymosin and radiotherapy simultaneously would increase the radiation-induced lung injure is unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of thymosin alpha-1 on radiation induced pneumonitis in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three groups of mice, control (C), radiation alone (RT), thymosin alpha-1 plus radiation (T+RT), were entered into the study. The weight and mortality of mice, pleural effusion, quantity of protein and cell count in the bronchoalvealar lavage (BAL) and pulmonary fibrosis score were evaluated as the outcome measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mortality ratio of the T+RT and RT groups were 3/14, 2/10, respectively. The time of death were all in the 23-24 weeks after radiotherapy. There was no pleural effusion in the T+RT group other than 2/2 occurred in RT group. The quantity of protein, cell number and neutrophil number in the BAL and lung coefficient in mice of T+RT group were remarkably lower than that of RT group, but the BALF macrophages number was remarkably higher than that in RT group in the 8 weeks. The quantity of protein, cell number, neutrophil number and macrophages number in the BAL, lung coefficient, the scores of lung fibrosis in mice of T+RT group were significantly lower than that of RT group in the 24 weeks. All test data were lowest in mice of C group. And there was no obvious pulmonary fibrosis in the mice of C group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thymosin alpha-1 could relieve radiation-induced acute and late pulmonary injuries.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Yongheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guangying
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017564:Radiation Pneumonitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000077596:Thymalfasin; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D014965:X-Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D013947:Thymosin; D000077596:Thymalfasin