Effect of Thymalin on the Tumor and Thymus under Conditions of Activation Therapy In Vivo
Zhukova GV, Schikhlyarova AI, Barteneva TA, Shevchenko AN, Zakharyuta FM. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2018; 165(1):80–83.
PubMed 29797130 · doi:10.1007/s10517-018-4104-z
Done in animals. Results often do not carry over to people.
Where this design sits
- Cells in a dish
- Animals (this study)
- Small human report
- Controlled human trial
- Pooled analysis
- Who or what was studied
- Outbred male albino rats with transplanted sarcoma 45; number of animals not given in the abstract
- Design
- Animal experiment with tissue analysis of the thymus
- Dose
- Thymalin at doses below the therapeutic dose, varied during the course
What it found
In rats with a transplanted tumour, low-dose Thymalin stopped tumour growth and caused regression in more than half of the animals, and suppressed growth by 78% in the rest. Thymus tissue showed more lymphocyte proliferation and more tissue basophils and plasma cells. The authors credit the low doses, adjusted during the course under their 'activation therapy' regimen.
What it doesn’t show
A study in rats with a transplanted tumour, so it does not show an effect in people. The abstract does not describe a comparison group or give the number of animals, and the explanation offered for the result is the authors' interpretation.
Funding and conflicts of interest
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement appears in the PubMed record. Check the full text.
Summary written from the study's abstract and checked against PubMed on November 9, 2026. How we check studies. Educational information, not medical advice.
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