Differential Activity of Thymosin Peptides (Thymosin Fraction 5) on Plasma Thyrotropin in Female Rats of Different Ages

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Abstract
Thymosin fraction 5 (TF-5), a partially purified thymic preparation, has been previously shown to have luteinizing-hormone-releasing-hormone-releasing activity in perfused rat hypothalamus as well as an in vivo stimulatory effect on the pituitary-adrenal axis in prepubertal monkeys. We report here the effect of TF-5 on the plasma levels of several hormones in female rats of different ages. Conscious free-moving Sprague-Dawley rats carrying an indwelling atrial cannula received a single dose of 5 mg/kg body weight of either bovine serum albumin (BSA) or TF-5 via cannula. In young (3-4) months and old (25 months) rats, thymosin induced a marked reduction of plasma thyrotropin (TSH) which was significantly greater than the normal circadian decline observed in the BSA-treated controls. Senescent females (34 months) displayed high basal levels of TSH which showed little circadian rhythmicity and did not respond to TF-5. Thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), corticosterone, and prolactin levels were not affected by TF-5 at the dose levels tested. An age-dependent decrease in basal plasma levels of T4 but not T3 was observed in both BSA- and TF-5-treated rats. Young females given up to 10 mg BSA/kg body weight (i.v.) and noninjected controls had similar levels of the above hormones up to 3.5 h after BSA injection. These results suggest that the thymus has an inhibitory action on TSH in the rat, which is not mediated by the thyroid gland. Our results also suggest an age-related desensitization of the TSH system to thymic influence in this species.