Functional Unity of the Thymus and Pineal Gland and Study of the Mechanisms of Aging

Polyakova, V. I.; Linkova, N. S.; Kvetnoy, I. M.; Khavinson, V. Kh.

doi:10.1007/s10517-011-1400-2

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The effect of pineal to thymus could be done by pineal peptides [127] or melatonin. It seems likely a functional unity of pineal and thymus involution [79,124,128]. The functional unity is also supported by human experiments, when durable combined treatment with pineal and thymus peptides prolonged the lifespan [129].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is likely that the thymus is not alone in the regulatory process; it is influenced first of all by the pineal gland [74,75] and secondarily by the hypothalamo-pituitary system [122]. The pineal seems to be the primary regulator, as it also has age-dependent degenerative alterations, and its removal in neonatal age completely destroys the thymus, and the thymus-dependent immune system [74,75,77,123,124]. Later removal of the pineal also has aging promoting and delaying effects, giving life and death signals with the participation of thymus [125,126].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Immunoendocrine Thymus as a Pacemaker of Lifespan

Csaba¹

2016

Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica

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The thymus develops from an endocrine area of the foregut, and retains the ancient potencies of this region. However, later it is populated by bone marrow originated lymphatic elements and forms a combined organ, which is a central part of the immune system as well as an influential element of the endocrine orchestra. Thymus produces self-hormones (thymulin, thymosin, thymopentin, and thymus humoral factor), which are participating in the regulation of immune cell transformation and selection, and also synthesizes hormones similar to that of the other endocrine glands such as melatonin, neuropeptides, and insulin, which are transported by the immune cells to the sites of requests (packed transport). Thymic (epithelial and immune) cells also have receptors for hormones which regulate them. This combined organ, which is continuously changing from birth to senescence seems to be a pacemaker of life. This function is basically regulated by the selection of self-responsive thymocytes as their complete destruction helps the development (up to puberty) and their gradual release in case of weakened control (after puberty) causes the erosion of cells and intercellular material, named aging. This means that during aging, self-destructive and non-protective immune activities are manifested under the guidance of the involuting thymus, causing the continuous irritation of cells and organs. Possibly the pineal body is the main regulator of the pacemaker, the neonatal removal of which results in atrophy of thymus and wasting disease and its later corrosion causes the insufficiency of thymus. The co-involution of pineal and thymus could determine the aging and the time of death without external intervention; however, external factors can negatively influence both of them.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Immunoendocrine Thymus as a Pacemaker of Lifespan

Csaba¹

2016

Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica

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“…The two glands form a functional complementary unit that maintains the immune and endocrine systems during aging. 25 Neonatal removal of the pineal gland leads to complete degeneration of the thymus, derangement of the immune system, and a wasting disease. The pineal gland is supposed to be responsible for involution of the thymus and control of its lifespan-determining function.…”

Section: Aging and Thymus Glandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aging of thymus gland and immune system

Haroun¹

2018

MOJAP

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Aging is an inevitable, progressive and irreversible process that is manifested with multiple organ dysfunction. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is considered the main etiological factor of aging. The thymus gland is the primary site of T cell production and it represents a key organ of the immune system. It is endodermal in origin and lies in the anterior mediastinum behind the sternum. Thymic involution with aging results in less efficient T-cell development and decreased emigration of naïve T cells to the periphery. Deterioration of the immune system with aging contributes to increased incidence of infection, autoimmunity, and cancer, thus increasing the rates of morbidity and mortality in elderly humans.

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“…A szabad gyökök elleni védekezés és az immunrendszer tevékenységének csökkenése kedvez a jellegzetesen idős-kori megbetegedések fellépésének [38], miközben pinealis peptidek adagolása csökkenti a mortalitást [39]. Egyes kutatók feltételezik a thymus és a tobozmirigy funkcionális egységét [40,41], amit a thymus melatonintermelése is alátámaszt [42].…”

Section: A Tobozmirigy-thymus Kapcsolatokunclassified

A tobozmirigy-csecsemőmirigy rendszer szerepe az autoimmunitás, öregedés és élettartam szabályozásában

Csaba

2016

Orvosi Hetilap

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A csecsemőmirigy (thymus) immunoendokrin szerv, amelynek endokrin elemei által termelt hormonok elsősorban a szerv saját immunelemeire hatnak. Az immunrendszerben központi szerepet tölt be, újszülöttkori eltávolítása az immunrendszer és az egész szervezet összeomlásával jár. A thymus dajkasejtjei a csontvelő-eredetű lymphocytákat szelektálják és a sajátot idegenként felismerő (autoreaktív) sejteket még a thymusban elpusztítják, illetve az ugyancsak thymuseredetű Treg-sejtek a periférián elnyomják. A szerv involúciója már születés után elkezdődik, de csak a serdü-lőkor vége felé válik kifejezetté, mert addig az egyidejű fejlődési folyamatok túlkompenzálják. A pubertás utáni involúció inkább megengedi az autoreaktív sejtek életben maradását, felszaporodását és fokozott működését, ami fokozatosan koptatja, pusztítja a szervezet sejtjeit és sejt közötti állományát, ezzel előidézi az öregedés jelenségét. Az autoreaktív sejtek további fokozott működése okozza az autoimmun betegségeket és vezet a természetes halálhoz is. A thymus involúciója tehát nem a szervezet általános sorvadásának részjelensége, hanem annak okozója, ami az élettartam-pacemaker funkcióban mutatkozik meg. Az öregedés tehát felfogható egy thymusvezérelt lassú autoimmun folyamatnak. A tobozmirigy újszülöttkori eltávolítása a thymus degradációjához, az immunrendszer összeomlá-sához és a szervezet sorvadásához (wasting disease) vezet. A mirigy felnőttkori involúciója a thymus involúciójával párhuzamosan fut, így a két szerv funkcionális egységet képez. Valószínű, hogy a corpus pineale felelős a thymus involúciójáért, ezáltal annak élettartam-meghatározó szerepéért is. Az ismertetett adatok nem bizonyítják a tobozmirigy-csecsemőmirigy rendszer kizárólagos szerepét az öregedés és élettartam meghatározásában, csak felhívják a figyelmet arra, hogy ez a rendszer önmagában is alkalmas a feladat elvégzésére. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(27), 1065-1070. Kulcsszavak: tobozmirigy, csecsemőmirigy, öregedés, élettartam, immunitás, autoimmun betegségek, immunszelekció, immunöregedésThe role of the pineal-thymus system in the regulation of autoimmunity, aging and lifespan Thymus is an immunoendocrine organ, the hormones of which mainly influence its own lymphatic elements. It has a central role in the immune system, the neonatal removal causes the collapse of immune system and the whole organism. The thymic nurse cells select the bone marrow originated lymphocytes and destroy the autoreactive ones, while thymus originated Treg cells suppress the autoreactive cells in the periphery. The involution of the organ starts after birth, however, this truly happens in the end of puberty only, as before this it is overcompensated by developmental processes. From the end of adolescence the involution allows the life, proliferation and enhanced functioning of some autoreactive cells, which gradually wear down the cells and intercellular materials, causing the aging. The enhanced and mass function of autoreactive cells lead to the autoimmune diseases and natural death. This means that ...

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Functional Unity of the Thymus and Pineal Gland and Study of the Mechanisms of Aging

Cited by 12 publications

References 6 publications

The Immunoendocrine Thymus as a Pacemaker of Lifespan

The Immunoendocrine Thymus as a Pacemaker of Lifespan

Aging of thymus gland and immune system

A tobozmirigy-csecsemőmirigy rendszer szerepe az autoimmunitás, öregedés és élettartam szabályozásában

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