Studies

N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) is a ubiquitous molecule generated in all mammalian tissues from the N-terminal sequence of thymosin β4 (Tβ4) by the action of propyl oligopeptidase. Ac-SDKP is an alternative substrate for angiotensin…

Repairing defective cardiac cells is important towards improving heart function. Due to the frequency and severity of ischemic heart disease, management of patients featuring this type of cardiac failure receives significant interest. Previously we d…

Dry eye disorders are becoming more common due to many causes, including an aging population, increased pollution, and postrefractive surgery. Current treatments include artificial tears; gels; lubricants; tear duct plugs; and anti-inflammatory agent…

Polymerization of actin monomers into filaments requires the initial formation of nuclei composed of a few actin subunits; however, their instability has hindered their detailed study. Therefore we used chemically crosslinked actin oligomers to analy…

UNLABELLED: Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) and its amino-terminal fragment comprising N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) have been reported to act as anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic agents in vitro and in vivo. In recent papers, we have shown tha…

INTRODUCTION: Thymosin β4 (Tβ4), a multifunctional peptide, has been used successfully in several clinical trials involving tissue repair and regeneration. The review will first update the current information on the common underlying cellular cascade…

OBJECTIVE: Dry eye syndrome is a common condition that affects up to 20% of the population aged 45 and older. There are no successful treatments to date. The goal of this research was to determine the efficacy of various doses and the optimal frequen…

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of our work was to identify unknown interaction partners of thymosin β4 (Tβ4). It was suggested that Tβ4 could be an antifibrotic drug for treatment of liver fibrogenesis, because Tβ4 prevents the platelet-derived growth fac…

Therapies that modulate inflammation and fibrosis have the potential to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A promising avenue may be manipulating thymosin-β4, a naturally occurring peptide, which is the m…

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to characterize β and α thymosins and their proteoforms in various tissues and bodily fluids by mass spectrometry and to look at their association with a wide variety of pathologies. METHODS: A top-down proteomic…

INTRODUCTION: Despite recent improvements in interventional medicine, cardiovascular disease still represents the major cause of morbidity worldwide, with myocardial infarction being the most common cardiac injury. This has sustained the development…

Thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) is known to induce hair growth and hair follicle (HF) development; however, its mechanism of action is unknown. We generated mice that overexpressed Tβ4 in the epidermis, as well as Tβ4 global knockout mice, to study the role of…

The molecular anatomy of healthy and atherosclerotic tissue is pursued here to identify ongoing molecular changes in atherosclerosis development. Subclinical atherosclerosis cannot be predicted and novel therapeutic targets are needed. Mass spectrome…

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of thymosin beta 4 ophthalmic solution (RGN-259; Tβ4) in subjects with moderate to severe dry eye using the CAE™ model. METHODS: This single-center, prospective, double-mas…

DNA aneuploidy has been identified as a prognostic factor for epithelial malignancies. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful tool for direct analysis of multiple proteins in tissue sections…

Neuroinflammation mediated by activated microglia plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, including hypoxic injury of the developing brain. Thymosin β4 (Tβ4), the major G-actin-sequestering molecule, has an anti-inflammato…

Titanium (Ti) is the most widely used implant material in dentistry and orthopedics but the release of metal ions from Ti implants results in increased bone resorption by enhancing the production of inflammatory cytokines from the macrophages and fac…

Although several studies have suggested the neuroprotective effect of thymosin β4 (TB4), a major actin-sequestering protein, on the central nervous system, little is understood regarding the action of N-acetyl-serylaspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP), a…