Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40955371›Full record

ArticleOncoTargets and therapy2025

The Immunomodulatory Activity of Thymosin Alpha 1 on Tumor Cell Lines and Distinct Immune Cell Subsets.

Laura Solmonese, Maria Fortunata Lofiego, Carolina Fazio, Francesco Marzani, Francesca Piazzini, Emma Bello, Fabrizio Celesti, Gianluca Giacobini, Xiaohui Wang, Michele Maio and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in OncoTargets and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Laura SolmoneseCenter for Immuno-Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3662-386X
Maria Fortunata LofiegoDepartment of Medicine, Surgery, and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Carolina FazioCenter for Immuno-Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Francesco MarzaniEpigen Therapeutics S.r.l., Siena, Italy.
Francesca PiazziniDepartment of Medicine, Surgery, and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Emma BelloDepartment of Medicine, Surgery, and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0009-0006-3358-9327
Fabrizio CelestiDepartment of Medicine, Surgery, and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1629-0922
Gianluca GiacobiniCenter for Immuno-Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Xiaohui WangSciClone Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Michele MaioCenter for Immuno-Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Sandra CoralEpigen Therapeutics S.r.l., Siena, Italy.
Anna Maria Di Giacomo *Center for Immuno-Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9315-2158
Alessia Covre *Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The immune-balancing role of thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) is well-recognized in contexts of immune dysregulation. Within the anti-tumor context, Tα1 demonstrated to act as an immune-enhancer, with potential roles in immunotherapy-based treatments. However, Tα1 immunomodulatory potential on tumor cells is poorly understood. Additionally, Tα1 pleiotropic effects on immune cells require in-depth investigations to unravel its specific impact on different immune cell populations. Thus, we first aimed to investigate whether Tα1 treatments influenced the transcriptional immune profile of various cancer cell lines. Alongside, CD4 Methods: Cutaneous melanoma, glioblastoma, and pleural mesothelioma cell lines and HD immune cell subsets were treated with Tα1 for 48 hours. Total RNA was subsequently isolated, and gene expression profiles were analyzed by the nCounter Results: Tα1 minimally changed cancer cell DEGs and immune-related biological processes, suggesting a comprehensive lack of transcriptional immunomodulatory potential on the tumor counterpart. Conversely, Tα1 exhibited to directly affect the proliferation and/or transcription processes of each studied immune cell subset, with the greatest transcriptional impact observed for activated CD8 Conclusion: Our findings question the tumor immunomodulatory properties of Tα1, simultaneously underscoring the importance of further investigating Tα1 influence on specific immune cell subsets in the periphery or within the tumor microenvironment of cancer patients. This would contribute to understand Tα1 potential in immunotherapy-based combination strategies, within the anti-tumor setting.

Indexed as

cancercancer immunotherapyimmune responseimmunomodulatory agents

Identifiers

PMID40955371
PMCPMC12433645

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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.