SynthesisBMC infectious diseases2016
The efficacy of thymosin α1 as immunomodulatory treatment for sepsis: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC infectious diseases, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of thymosin α1 for sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- The efficacy and safety of thymosin α1 for sepsis (TESTS): multicentre, double blinded, randomised, placebo controlled, phase 3 trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2025Trial
- Thymosin α1 combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors: synergistic remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment to enhance clinical efficacy and safety.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- The Role of Inflammasomes in LPS and Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Polydatin Alleviates Cyclophosphamide-Induced Mouse Immunosuppression by Promoting Splenic Lymphocyte Proliferation and Thymic T Cell Development and Differentiation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Targeting sepsis through inflammation and oxidative metabolism.World journal of critical care medicine · 2025Review
- Thymosin α1 Elevates Lymphocyte Counts and Improves Immunoradiotherapy Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Cancer.Cancer management and research · 2025Article
- Association between intracellular adenosine triphosphate content of CD4Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2024Observational
- Clinical practice of sepsis-induced immunosuppression: Current immunotherapy and future options.Chinese journal of traumatology = Zhonghua chuang shang za zhi · 2024Review
- Phenotypic drug discovery: a case for thymosin alpha-1.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Review
- Immune dysregulation in sepsis: experiences, lessons and perspectives.Cell death discovery · 2023Review
- Treatment Advances in Sepsis and Septic Shock: Modulating Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Mechanism and clinical application of thymosin in the treatment of lung cancer.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Expert consensus on the monitoring and treatment of sepsis-induced immunosuppression.Military Medical Research · 2022Article
- Review
- The effect of thymosin α1 on mortality of critical COVID-19 patients: A multicenter retrospective study.International immunopharmacology · 2021Article
- Thymus-Pineal Gland Axis: Revisiting Its Role in Human Life and Ageing.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Review
- Staging and Personalized Intervention for Infection and Sepsis.Surgical infections · 2020Review
- Multidisciplinary, three-dimensional and individualized comprehensive treatment for severe/critical COVID-19.Liver research (Beijing, China) · 2020Review
- Immunomodulation for Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia: The State of the Art.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThymosin α1 (Tα1) as immunomodulatory treatment is supposed to be beneficial for the sepsis patients by regulating T cell subsets and inflammatory mediators. However, limited by the small sample size and the poor study design, the persuasive power of the single clinical studies is weak. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the impact of Tα1 on the sepsis patients.
methodsWe searched for the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CBM, VIP, CNKI, WANFANG, Igaku Chuo Zasshi (ICHUSHI) and Korean literature databases reporting the effects of Tα1 on outcomes in sepsis patients.
resultsAmong 444 related articles, 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met our inclusion criteria. Mortality events were reported in 10 RCTs included 530 patients, and the meta-analysis showed significant decrease in Tα1 group compared with control group (RR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.45 to 0.77, p = 0.0001). The subgroup analysis showed no difference between the two dosages (RR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.43 to 0.81; RR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.35 to 0.98, respectively). In 9 RCTs, with a total of 489 patients, Tα1 administered once per day decrease APACHE II score significantly (SMD -0.80, 95 % CI -1.14 to -0.47, p < 0.0001) while Tα1 twice per day showed no effect (SMD 0.30, 95 % CI-0.10 to 0.70, p = 0.14). However, the length of ICU stay, the incidence of multiple organ failure (MOF) and duration of mechanical ventilation were not significantly affected by Tα1 treatment (SMD -0.52, 95 % CI -1.06 to 0.11, p = 0.06; SMD -0.49, 95 % CI -1.09 to 0.11, p = 0.11; SMD -0.37, 95 % CI -0.90 to 0.17, p = 0.17, respectively). As to the immunological indicators, the level of HLA-DR were increased by Tα1 (SMD 1.23, 95 % CI 0.28 to 2.18, p = 0.01) according to the pooled analysis of 8 studies involving 721 patients. Lymphocyte subsets CD3, CD4 and cytokines IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α were also beneficially affected by Tα1 treatment.
conclusionsTα1 may be beneficial to sepsis patients in reducing mortality and modulating inflammation reactions. However, the quality of evidence supporting the effectiveness is low considering the small sample sizes and inadequate adherence to standardized reporting guidelines for RCTs among the included studies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.