In brief
Thymosin beta-4 is an actin-binding peptide with angiogenic activity, and this study asked whether it speeds wound repair. In rats with full-thickness skin wounds, the peptide, whether applied to the wound or injected into the abdomen, increased re-epithelialisation by 42 percent over saline at day four and by as much as 61 percent at day seven. Treated wounds also contracted at least 11 percent more than controls by day seven and showed more collagen deposition and more new blood vessels. In a separate migration assay, as little as 10 picograms of the peptide raised keratinocyte migration two- to three-fold within four to five hours. The authors describe thymosin beta-4 as a wound-healing factor with several distinct activities.
Study design
Rat full-thickness dermal wound model, thymosin beta-4 given topically or intraperitoneally against saline; plus a keratinocyte migration assay.
What it does not show
An acute wound model in healthy rats. Numbers are percentages over saline at two time points; the paper does not address chronic wounds, scarring quality or any human outcome.
Results in rodents or other animals often do not reproduce in people. Species, route, dose and the injury or disease model all shape the outcome, and an effect in a rat is a reason for further study, not a conclusion.
Where this paper is cited
- TB-500 — Full-thickness skin wounds in rats: thymosin β4 accelerated closure, re-epithelialisation and collagen deposition.
Other papers cited for TB-500
- Animal study Thymosin beta4 activates integrin-linked kinase and promotes cardiac cell migration, survival and cardiac repair Bock-Marquette et al. (2004), Nature
- Review Thymosin β4: a multi-functional regenerative peptide. Basic properties and clinical applications Goldstein et al. (2012), Expert Opin Biol Ther
Further reading
- Research library: every paper cited on this site, by compound and by study type.
- Repair and recovery peptide comparison
- How to read a certificate of analysis
- Lyophilised peptide storage and stability
How this page was made: the citation was retrieved from PubMed by PMID and checked against the title on the product page; the summary was written from the paper's abstract and reports only what the abstract reports. Read the paper itself before relying on any figure here.