Title:Thymosin β4: A Multi-Faceted Tissue Repair Stimulating Protein in Heart Injury
Volume: 27
Issue: 37
Author(s): Geir Bjørklund*, Maryam Dadar, Jan Aaseth and Salvatore Chirumbolo
Affiliation:
- Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Mo i Rana,Norway
Keywords:
Tissue repair, thymosin beta 4, melatonin, C-fiber-derived peptides, Peripheral Nervous System, Central
Nervous System.
Abstract: Thymosin Beta-4 (Tβ4) is known as a major pleiotropic actin-sequestering protein that is
involved in tumorigenesis. Tβ4 is a water-soluble protein that has different promising clinical applications
in the remodeling and ulcerated tissues repair following myocardial infarction, stroke, plasticity
and neurovascular remodeling of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) and the Central Nervous
System (CNS). On the other hand, similar effects have been observed for Tβ4 in other kinds of
tissues, including cardiac muscle tissue. In recent reports, as it activates resident epicardial progenitor
cells and modulates inflammatory-caused injuries, Tβ4 has been suggested as a promoter of the
survival of cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, Tβ4 may act in skeletal muscle and different organs in
association/synergism with numerous other tissue repair stimulating factors, including melatonin
and C-fiber-derived peptides. For these reasons, the present review highlights the promising role of
Tβ4 in cardiac healing.