Thymalin 10mg

What is Thymalin ?

Thymalin is the thymus-derived dipeptide Glu-Trp, also referred to as timogen, first isolated from calf thymus extracts in the Soviet immunomodulator research programme. Research on thymus peptides has examined their reported effects on T-cell function and immune restoration in aged animal models.

The vial holds L-glutamyl-L-tryptophan (EW), the molecule named on the batch certificate. In the Russian literature, Thymalin is the natural peptide complex from calf thymus. Glu-Trp was isolated from it by reversed-phase HPLC, synthesised and developed as a separate product, Thymogen (Morozov and Khavinson, Int J Immunopharmacol, 1997). Its international nonproprietary name is oglufanide.

The tryptophan sets the chemistry. Its indole side chain absorbs UV light strongly and oxidises in solution. Each Thymalin 10mg vial holds white lyophilised powder.

Thymalin Research Applications

• Immune assays : the dipeptide is reported to activate T-cell differentiation, T-cell recognition of peptide-MHC complexes, and neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis (Morozov and Khavinson, 1997).
• Tumours and lifespan : in 76 outbred female rats, Anisimov, Khavinson and Morozov (Biogerontology, 2000) reported 1.5 times fewer spontaneous tumours with L-Glu-L-Trp. Mean lifespan was unchanged; the longest-lived rats lived longer.
• Thymus complex : the literature on the Thymalin complex reports restored T and B lymphocyte numbers and ratios in immunodepressed states (Khavinson et al., Biol Bull Rev, 2021).
• Review : Anisimov and Khavinson (Biogerontology, 2010) review the same group's rodent ageing work across thymus and pineal peptides.

Typical endpoints are T-cell function assays, T- and B-lymphocyte subset analysis and models of age-related immune decline. Most primary data come from one research group, much of it in Russian. The human evidence is small and does not meet modern regulatory standards. Thymalin and Thymogen were developed as pharmaceuticals by the same group, but neither has marketing authorisation in the UK, the EU or the United States.

Thymalin vs Thymulin

The names differ by one letter and describe different molecules. Thymalin, as supplied here, is the dipeptide Glu-Trp, 333.34 g/mol, CAS 38101-59-6. Thymulin, once called facteur thymique sérique (FTS), is a nonapeptide, pGlu-Ala-Lys-Ser-Gln-Gly-Gly-Ser-Asn, with a pyroglutamate N-terminus. Bach and colleagues characterised it as a serum thymic factor (Nature, 1977), and its activity was later shown to depend on bound zinc. Both come from the thymus and sit in the immunology literature, but they are chemically unrelated. Check which molecule a paper used before carrying a protocol or citation from one to the other.

Research Overview

Thymalin, as supplied here, is the thymus-derived dipeptide L-glutamyl-L-tryptophan, written Glu-Trp and in one-letter code EW, with the molecular formula C₁₆H₁₉N₃O₅, a molecular weight of 333.34 g/mol and CAS number 38101-59-6. It is the synthetic dipeptide also referred to as timogen (also written thymogen). The name carries a precise history: thymalin originally denoted a polypeptide complex isolated from calf thymus extracts in the Soviet immunomodulator research programme by Morozov and Khavinson (Biokhimiya, 1981), and the Glu-Trp dipeptide was later separated from that complex by reversed-phase HPLC, synthesised and taken forward as a discrete immunomodulatory molecule (Morozov and Khavinson, Int J Immunopharmacol, 1997; Khavinson et al., Biol Bull Rev, 2021).

Research on thymus peptides has examined their reported effects on T-cell function and immune restoration in aged animal models. The English-language review by Khavinson and colleagues (Biol Bull Rev, 2021) summarises the reported immunoprotective effects of the thymus peptides: restoration of the number and ratio of T and B lymphocytes and their subpopulations, an increase in their functional activity, and increased phagocytosis in immunodepressed states. Anisimov and Khavinson (Biogerontology, 2010) review the same programme's geroprotective work across the thymus and pineal preparations. For the dipeptide specifically, the defining animal study is Anisimov, Khavinson and Morozov (Biogerontology, 2000), who reported that L-Glu-L-Trp slowed the ageing rate, increased survival and decreased spontaneous tumour incidence, roughly 1.5-fold, in outbred female rats.

The chemistry worth knowing before experimental design is concentrated in the tryptophan residue. The indole side chain absorbs UV light strongly, which makes the dipeptide convenient to follow spectrophotometrically, and it oxidises readily in solution, which is the degradation route to design against in handling and storage.

It is worth being direct about two things. First, the evidence base: the primary data originate overwhelmingly from one affiliated research cluster, much of it is Russian-language, the human evidence is small and does not meet modern regulatory standards, and thymalin holds no marketing authorisation in the UK, the EU or the United States. Second, the naming: thymulin, the distinct zinc-dependent nonapeptide characterised by Bach and colleagues (Nature, 1977), is a different molecule with a different literature, and the two names are routinely confused.

Storage and Reconstitution

Move vials to the freezer on arrival and keep them dark and dry. Oxidation of the tryptophan indole ring is the main risk in solution. Keep vials tightly sealed with little headspace, protect them from light, and keep oxidising agents away. Freeze single-use aliquots for longer storage.

Vials are sold on their own, without bacteriostatic water for mixing or other supplies.

How to reconstitute and handle

• The tryptophan indole side chain is oxidation- and light-sensitive: minimise stopper-open time and headspace air, protect reconstituted solutions from light, and handle under aseptic laboratory conditions with sterile equipment throughout.
• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Prepare measured single-use aliquots from reconstituted stock for consistent experimental use.

For the full method, see the peptide reconstitution guide and the reconstitution calculator.

Research References

• Isolation, purification, and identification of an immunomodulatory polypeptide found in the thymus of calves and humans (Morozov and Khavinson, Biokhimiya, 1981)
• Immunomodulatory synthetic dipeptide L-Glu-L-Trp slows down aging and inhibits spontaneous carcinogenesis in rats (Anisimov et al., Biogerontology, 2000)

Published research on Thymalin is indexed on PubMed. See our full UK buyer's guide for Thymalin.