Biomaterial Database

Effects of thymosin and insulin on suppressor T cell in type 1 diabetes. 1992

S H Wang, and G Chen, and K Zhang

Department of Pathophysiology, Fujian Medical College, Fuzhou, China.

In most studies the activity of suppressor T cells and the percentage of suppressor/cytotoxic T-lymphocyte subsets in type 1 diabetes have been found to be altered. To determine whether thymosin and insulin in vitro have a role in improving or normalizing these abnormalities, PBMC from 28 patients with type 1 diabetes of various durations were treated with thymosin or insulin and the activity and the percentage of suppressor T cells were detected by using the method of ConA-induced suppressor T cells and WuT8 (suppressor/cytotoxic) monoclonal antibody respectively. Both thymosin and insulin were found to have ability to improve and normalize the ConA-induced suppressor cell activity and the percentage of WuT8 cells in diabetic patients. Data have shown that the lower the activity and the percentage of suppressor T cells, the more intense the effects of both compounds. The strongest effects were found at the concentrations of 10 micrograms/ml thymosin and 10 ng/ml insulin. Thymosin was more effective than insulin. This experiment also suggested that the activated lymphocytes stimulated by mitogens (PHA or ConA) were required when insulin exerted a significant effect on suppressor T cells. We conclude that thymosin and insulin in vitro can exert immuno-regulatory or immunostimulating effects on suppressor T cells.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007328	Insulin	A 51-amino acid pancreatic hormone that plays a major role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, directly by suppressing endogenous glucose production (GLYCOGENOLYSIS; GLUCONEOGENESIS) and indirectly by suppressing GLUCAGON secretion and LIPOLYSIS. Native insulin is a globular protein comprised of a zinc-coordinated hexamer. Each insulin monomer containing two chains, A (21 residues) and B (30 residues), linked by two disulfide bonds. Insulin is used as a drug to control insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 1).	Iletin,Insulin A Chain,Insulin B Chain,Insulin, Regular,Novolin,Sodium Insulin,Soluble Insulin,Chain, Insulin B,Insulin, Sodium,Insulin, Soluble,Regular Insulin
D008213	Lymphocyte Activation	Morphologic alteration of small B LYMPHOCYTES or T LYMPHOCYTES in culture into large blast-like cells able to synthesize DNA and RNA and to divide mitotically. It is induced by INTERLEUKINS; MITOGENS such as PHYTOHEMAGGLUTININS, and by specific ANTIGENS. It may also occur in vivo as in GRAFT REJECTION.	Blast Transformation,Blastogenesis,Lymphoblast Transformation,Lymphocyte Stimulation,Lymphocyte Transformation,Transformation, Blast,Transformation, Lymphoblast,Transformation, Lymphocyte,Activation, Lymphocyte,Stimulation, Lymphocyte
D008297	Male		Males
D012016	Reference Values	The range or frequency distribution of a measurement in a population (of organisms, organs or things) that has not been selected for the presence of disease or abnormality.	Normal Range,Normal Values,Reference Ranges,Normal Ranges,Normal Value,Range, Normal,Range, Reference,Ranges, Normal,Ranges, Reference,Reference Range,Reference Value,Value, Normal,Value, Reference,Values, Normal,Values, Reference
D002478	Cells, Cultured	Cells propagated in vitro in special media conducive to their growth. Cultured cells are used to study developmental, morphologic, metabolic, physiologic, and genetic processes, among others.	Cultured Cells,Cell, Cultured,Cultured Cell
D003208	Concanavalin A	A MANNOSE/GLUCOSE binding lectin isolated from the jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis). It is a potent mitogen used to stimulate cell proliferation in lymphocytes, primarily T-lymphocyte, cultures.
D003922	Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1	A subtype of DIABETES MELLITUS that is characterized by INSULIN deficiency. It is manifested by the sudden onset of severe HYPERGLYCEMIA, rapid progression to DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS, and DEATH unless treated with insulin. The disease may occur at any age, but is most common in childhood or adolescence.	Diabetes Mellitus, Brittle,Diabetes Mellitus, Insulin-Dependent,Diabetes Mellitus, Juvenile-Onset,Diabetes Mellitus, Ketosis-Prone,Diabetes Mellitus, Sudden-Onset,Diabetes, Autoimmune,IDDM,Autoimmune Diabetes,Diabetes Mellitus, Insulin-Dependent, 1,Diabetes Mellitus, Type I,Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus 1,Juvenile-Onset Diabetes,Type 1 Diabetes,Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus,Brittle Diabetes Mellitus,Diabetes Mellitus, Insulin Dependent,Diabetes Mellitus, Juvenile Onset,Diabetes Mellitus, Ketosis Prone,Diabetes Mellitus, Sudden Onset,Diabetes, Juvenile-Onset,Diabetes, Type 1,Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus 1,Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus,Juvenile Onset Diabetes,Juvenile-Onset Diabetes Mellitus,Ketosis-Prone Diabetes Mellitus,Sudden-Onset Diabetes Mellitus
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults