Open AccessAntenatal Thymosin β4: a New Tool for Accelerating Fetal Development in Preterms? Thymosin Beta-4: a Breakthrough in the “Physiological” Regenerative Medicine in Preterm Newborns
Author(s) -
Massimo Castagnola,
Giacomo Cao,
Goce Kalcev,
Germano Orrù,
Vassilios Fanos,
Gavino Faa,
Mauro Giovanni Carta
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biointerface research in applied chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 2069-5837
DOI - 10.33263/briac116.1386013865
Subject(s) - regenerative medicine , medicine , thymosin , intensive care medicine , fetal growth , fetus , low birth weight , pediatrics , stem cell , obstetrics , physiology , pregnancy , immunology , biology , genetics
To prevent the health risks related to prematurity, multiple drugs have been introduced in clinical practice in recent years. This paper focuses on a new "physiological" regenerative approach to be started in the perinatal period, particularly on very low birth weight preterm infants. This new preventive approach underlined the necessity to start regenerative medicine very early after birth, a period in which kidney, brain, pancreas, and lung stem cells maintain their proliferative and differentiating abilities. Among the multiple factors proposed in the literature as potential growth promoters for preterm neonates, thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) has been indicated as one of the most important candidates for regenerative medicine.