Peptides Regulating Proliferative Activity and Inflammatory Pathways in the Monocyte/Macrophage THP-1 Cell Line

Avolio F, Martinotti S, Khavinson VK, Esposito JE, Giambuzzi G, Marino A, Mironova E, Pulcini R, Robuffo I, Bologna G, Simeone P, Lanuti P, Guarnieri S, Trofimova S, Procopio AD, Toniato E. Int J Mol Sci. 2022.

Organ: thymus-immune · Type: in-vitro · Peptides: Epitalon, Vilon, Thymogen, Thymalin, Chonluten

PMID: 35408963

In PMA-differentiated THP-1 monocytes, five Khavinson peptides increased kinase tyrosine phosphorylation and, after LPS, lowered TNF and IL-6; Chonluten also cut TNF from LPS-exposed monocytes, and peptide-treated cells adhered less to activated HUVECs.

Editorial summary of a 2022 open-access original article in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (MDPI: doi:10.3390/ijms23073607). Cell-line work. Public pages cite PubMed; the DOI is the OA record. Read the paper: PMID 35408963.

Methods

Human THP-1 leukemia monocytes, which can be differentiated toward macrophages with PMA. The authors incubated cultures with five peptides from the Khavinson set — Epitalon (AEDG), Vilon (KE), Thymogen (EW), the thymic polypeptide complex Thymalin, and Chonluten (EDG) — at concentrations they describe as previously effective in recipient-cell culture. Readouts included tyrosine phosphorylation of mitogen-activated cytoplasmic kinases, LPS-stimulated TNF and IL-6, and adhesion of peptide-treated THP-1 cells onto LPS-activated HUVEC monolayers. Exact concentrations and n belong in the primary text.

Findings

The authors report that all five peptides modulated proliferative signaling (increased kinase tyrosine phosphorylation). Chonluten inhibited TNF production from LPS-exposed monocytes. All five peptides inhibited LPS-stimulated TNF and IL-6 in terminally differentiated THP-1 cells, and peptide-treated monocytes showed reduced adhesion to activated endothelium. They interpret this as induction of TNF tolerance and an anti-inflammatory action on macrophages in this in-vitro system.

This is a single cell-line paper. THP-1 is not a patient. It is not a clinical trial and not a product claim. Follow the PMID and the OA DOI.