Thymosin Beta-4: Strong as a Horse?

by admin on December 6, 2011

Recently, a new doping drug has come on the scene for horse racing. Actually its been around for a while, but it seems to be catching on. So what does this have to do with humans? A lot.
Thymosin Beta-4 is a unique peptide that was first discovered in the thymus, a gland in the human body. Since that initial discovery, however, thymosins of all sorts have been found present in all different types of tissue throughout the body. One particular place we see Thymosin Beta-4 that is of interest to us, is muscle, both smooth (like heart muscle) and skeletal (our movement muscles). Thymosin Beta-4 is upregulated when damage occurs to muscle tissue. When trauma occurs, Thymosin beta-4 is released to increase the healing of that trauma. It also acts to prevent the formation of adhesions. This means less scar tissue, and hopefully, more flexibility.
TB500 is a synthetic version of Thymosin Beta-4 which does all the same wonderful things that its natural counterpart does. Some of the claims made by makers of TB500 include:


Endothelial (blood vessels) cell differentiation
Angiogenesis (growth of new blood cells from pre-existing vessels) in dermal tissues
Keratinocyte migration
Collagen deposition; and
Decreases inflammation.


In some instances, these are all good things. Increased blood flow, healthy vasculature, enhanced healing from skin abrasions (keratinocytes are part of the barrier in our skin that keeps bad stuff from just seeping in) collagen deposition (healthy joints, and of course decreased inflammation.
The last one in particular should make a lot of sense. Thymosin beta-4 is involved in regulating the immune system. Increasing levels of Thymosin Beta-4 through the use of TB500, would decrease our inflammatory response to injury, because the injury would be healing at a much faster rate. Inflammation is our bodys signal to repair. Once that repair is underway, inflammation goes down.
So we know what makers of it are touting for dogs and horses. Increased endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, less scarring, and decreased inflammation. But are there any benefits for humans? Some scientists think it may be able to help our hearts heal after a heart attack. I have seen one study show that Thymosin Beta-4 activates progenitor cells after a heart attack, essentially allowing the heart to heal itself. I have also read elsehwhere that this effect has not been reproduced during further testing.
What do i know about this new drug? Not much. I have actually experimented with 5 mg a week of this and have found it to be a great preworkout booster of sorts, but nothing dramatic as of yet. It has been said results come over time, so we shall see. I personally think the dosages being sold on the internet are much lower than we should take in order to see results, but that doesnt surprise me, as most online sources of research peptides tend to make sure the profit margin is well within their own favor. If supply becomes abundant and we see larger amounts surfacing for reasonable prices I may try and go for something more like 10 mg a day and see how that treats me.
In the meantime I keep stretching, and hoping this stuff will help increase my flexibility, which was the primary reason I showed interest in this. I am one giant muscle knot.


Researchers Show TB4 Provides Both Neuroprotection and Neurorestoration after Traumatic Brain Injury
Researchers Show TB4 Provides Both Neuroprotection and Neurorestoration after Traumatic Brain Injury

February 15, 2012 Rockville, Md.
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: RGRX) (the Company or RegeneRx) today announced that researchers have shown that Thymosin beta 4 (TB4) provides both neuroprotection and neurorestoration after traumatic brain injury (TBI), indicating that TB4 has promising therapeutic potential in patients with TBI.
The aims of the study were to test if TB4 treatment initiated 6 hours after traumatic brain injury in rats reduces brain damage and improves functional recovery. The rats were divided into two treatment groups and one placebo group. TB4 or placebo was systemically administered 6, 24, and 48 hours after injury. Compared with the placebo group, TB4 treatment initiated 6 hours post-injury statistically significant improvement of sensorimotor functional recovery and spatial learning, reduced cortical lesion volume and hippocampal cell loss, and enhanced cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the injured brain tissue. The high dose of TB4 showed better beneficial effects compared with the low dose treatment.
The research was conducted by Xiong Y, Zhang Y, Mahmood A, Meng Y, Zhang ZG, Morris DC, Chopp MJ in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Henry Ford Hospital System (HFHS) in Detroit, Michigan pursuant to a material transfer agreement between the hospital and RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and published in Neurosurg., 2012 Feb 10. [Epub ahead of print].
"This preclinical study on the use of Thymosin beta 4 for the treatment of traumatic brain injury adds to the growing body of literature demonstrating the use of TB4 in neurological injury. The collective evidence of the neurorestorative properties of Tb4 in animal models of multiple sclerosis, stroke and traumatic brain injury are compelling and we look forward to evaluating this drug in clinical trials," stated Dr. Dan Morris, Senior Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine at HFHS and one of the investigators in study.

About RegeneRx
RegeneRx is focused on the development of a novel therapeutic peptide, Thymosin beta 4, or Tb4, for tissue and organ protection, repair and regeneration. RegeneRx currently has three drug candidates in clinical development and has an extensive worldwide patent portfolio covering its products.

RGN-259 is a sterile, preservative-free topical eye drop for ophthalmic indications. Based on a recently completed Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with dry eye syndrome, RGN-259 was found to show statistically significant improvements in several signs and symptoms of dry eye, as well as positive trends in other outcome measures. We believe the positive results of this Phase 2 exploratory trial reflect RGN-259's reported mechanisms of action and provide RegeneRx with FDA-approvable endpoints to be targeted in future clinical trials.

RGN-352 is an injectable formulation to treat cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases, as well as other medical indications. RegeneRx is initially targeting RGN-352 for the treatment of patients who have suffered an acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Recent pre-clinical efficacy data suggests that RGN-352 may also benefit patients with multiple sclerosis, stroke and traumatic brain injury. RegeneRx has successfully completed a Phase 1 clinical trial with RGN-352 in which the drug candidate was found to be safe and well-tolerated. In 2010, RegeneRx received a $3 million, three-year development grant from the NIH to support the company's acute myocardial infarction program.

RGN-137, a topical gel formulation, is currently being evaluated by RegeneRx in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of the orphan skin disease epidermolysis bullosa. Other potential uses for RGN-137 include the treatment of chronic dermal wounds and reduction of scar tissue. RegeneRx previously received $675,000 in grants from the U.S. FDA to support this clinical trial