title: Protective effects of thymosin β4 in a mouse model of lung fibrosis.
abstract: Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) has been found to have several biological activities related to antiscarring and reduced fibrosis. For example, the anti-inflammatory properties of Tβ4 and its splice variant have been shown in the eye and skin. Moreover, Tβ4 treatment prevents profibrotic gene expression in cardiac and in hepatic cells in vitro and in vivo. In a recent study on scleroderma patients it was hypothesized that Tβ4 may exert a protective effect during human lung injury. In an ongoing study, we have explored the putative Tβ4 protective role in the lung context by utilizing a well-known in vivo model. We have observed significant protective effects of Tβ4 on bleomycin-induced lung damage, the main outcomes being the halting of the inflammatory process and a substantial reduction of histological evidence of lung injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Catania, Italy. econte@unict.it
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gili
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iemmolo
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fruciano
authors.forename: Evelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fagone
authors.forename: Maria Provvidenza
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Pistorio
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Crimi
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuzzocrea
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vancheri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000633:toxicity; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013947:Thymosin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000099201:Thymosin beta(4)
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D001761:Bleomycin; D013947:Thymosin; D000099201:Thymosin beta(4)