The Immunomodulatory Activity of Thymosin Alpha 1 on Tumor Cell Lines and Distinct Immune Cell Subsets.

In vitro study investigating the effects of thymosin alpha 1 on cancer cell lines and immune cell subsets from healthy donors.

“Thus, we first aimed to investigate whether Tα1 treatments influenced the transcriptional immune profile of various cancer cell lines. Alongside, CD4+ T, CD8+ T, B, and natural killer cells from healthy donors (HDs) were treated individually with Tα1, to assess its direct effects on each immune cell population.”

13 tumor cell lines and 3 healthy donors.

“the current work aimed to deepen the potential immunomodulatory effect of Tα1 on tumor cell lines of 3 different histotypes (n=13 cell lines) and on distinct immune cell subsets from healthy donors (HDs; n=3).”

48 hours of treatment.

“Cutaneous melanoma, glioblastoma, and pleural mesothelioma cell lines and HD immune cell subsets were treated with Tα1 for 48 hours.”

Tα1 treatment resulted in minimal changes to the transcriptional immune profile of cancer cell lines.

“Tα1 minimally changed cancer cell DEGs and immune-related biological processes, suggesting a comprehensive lack of transcriptional immunomodulatory potential on the tumor counterpart.”

Tα1 directly affected the proliferation and transcription processes of immune cell subsets, with the greatest impact on activated CD8+ T cells.

“Conversely, Tα1 exhibited to directly affect the proliferation and/or transcription processes of each studied immune cell subset, with the greatest transcriptional impact observed for activated CD8+ T cells, crucial players in anti-tumor immunity.”