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

Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004 May;137(5):510-2. doi: 10.1023/b:bebm.0000038166.54823.06.

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.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow Cells / drug effects*
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • Cell Count
  • Melatonin / pharmacology*
  • Mice
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology*
  • Peptides / pharmacology*
  • Pineal Gland / physiology
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / drug effects*
  • Thymic Factor, Circulating / analysis
  • Thymic Factor, Circulating / metabolism
  • Thymus Gland / drug effects*
  • Thymus Gland / metabolism

Substances

  • Oligopeptides
  • Peptides
  • epithalamin
  • Thymic Factor, Circulating
  • Melatonin
  • alanyl-glutamyl-aspartyl-glycine