Effects of bioactive factors of the pineal gland on thymus function and cell composition of the bone marrow and spleen in mice of different age.

Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine2004PMID: 15455131

Animal StudyIn VitroEpitalon

Plain Language Summary

Pineal gland factors including Epithalamin, Epitalon, and melatonin all boosted thymus function in tissue cultures from mice of different ages. The substances increased the production of thymic serum factor and the proportion of immune cells in bone marrow from old animals, suggesting they can help restore age-related immune decline.

Abstract

The effects of factors from the pineal gland on the titer of thymic serum factor in the supernatant of 3-h thymus stroma cultures, number of stromal precursor fibroblasts and CD4+ cells in the bone marrow, and CD8+ cells in the spleens of adult and old CBA mice were studied in vitro. Epithalamin, Epithalon, and melatonin appreciably increased the titer of thymic serum factor in the supernatant of thymus stroma cultures from mice of different age and increased the percentage of CD4+ cells in the bone marrow suspension from old animals in vitro. The percentage of CD8+ lymphocytes decreased after incubation of splenic cells from old mice with melatonin. The percentage of bone marrow fibroblast precursor cells from adult and old mice did not appreciably change after incubation with the preparations.

Authors

Labunets, I F; Butenko, G M; Khavinson, V Kh