Balance The Immune System With Tuftsin

Tuftsin can powerfully balance and regulate the immune system. R

Contents

• Basics
• Mechanism Of Action
• Benefits
• How To Get/Increase Tuftsin

My Experience

• Caveats
• More Research

Basics

Tuftsin is naturally produced in the spleen. R

It was found by scientists Najjar and Nishioka in 1970 and named after Tufts University. R R

It can play an important role in:

• Splenectomy (Spleen Removal) R
• Infections R
• Boosting the immune system R
• Celiac disease R
• Hypersplenism R
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) R R
• Sickle Cell Disease R
• Dermatitis herpetiformis R
• Rheumatoid arthritis R
• Kidney disease
• Thrombocytopenia R
• Ulcerative colitis R
• Vasculitis R
• Multiple Sclerosis R
• General Anxiety Disorder R
• Depression R
• Black Fever R
• HIV/AIDS (deficiency) R
• Cirrhosis (impaired activity) R

Mechanism Of Action

Tuftsin shifts the immune response from an inflammatory response to an anti-inflammatory response. R

It does this by shifting T helper cells from Th1/TH17 turn into Th2/Treg (ie TNF-a -> IL-4, IL-10, TGFb1). R

Tuftsin (like ghrelin) can shift microglia into a M2 microglial anti-inflammatory response (as seen above). R R

Tuftsin signals through Nrp1 and TGFB pathways. R

Tuftsin competes with VEGF for binding to Nrp1. R R

Tuftsin regulates cyclic nucleotides and Cat+ concentration in the cell. R

Selank, a synthetic analogue of tuftsin, influences the concentration of monoamine neurotransmitters and induce metabolism of serotonin. R R R

Selank can decrease the expression of IL-6 and balance T helper cells's production of cytokines. R

Selank affects the activity of carboxypeptidase H and phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride-inhibited carboxypeptidase in rat nervous system tissue. R

Selank effects the XCL1–XCR1 axis, Il2rg gene expression and C3 gene expression. R

Selank is a nootropic, anxiolytic peptide based drug developed by the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Selank is a somewhat mysterious peptide whose mechanism of action is not yet fully elucidated, despite the ample evidence collected so far that supports its unique clinical and preclinical efficacy. Selank is a heptapeptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro. It is a synthetic analogue of human tuftsin.

The benefits of Selank can be divided into the following categories:

Reinforcement of the body’s protective opioid system

Therapy of generalized anxiety and neurasthenia (ie. abnormal weakness)

Enhancement of learning and memory

Strengthens antiviral immune function

Protects against alcohol-induced memory impairment

Improves symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal

Benefits

1. Turns Off Autoimmunity

Autoimmune disorders happen when the immune response is overactive and will not turn off. R

People who have their spleen removed have a higher chance of getting an autoimmune disorder. R

Tuftsin is able to shift the Th1 autoimmune response to a Th2 response, and thus turn off an autoimmune response. R

2. Ameliorates Multiple Sclerosis and Regenerates Myelin

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which T cells, microglia and macrophages attack the myelin sheath that protects the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. R

During multiple sclerosis, T cells become activated in the central nervous system (CNS) and attack the blood brain barrier (BBB). R

It generates an inflammatory cascade of cytokines and chemokines that cause demyelination of the CNS. R

Tuftsin activates microglia to promote a M2 anti-inflammatory response, allowing the regeneration of myelin. R R

Tuftsin is even more powerful in MS when combined with glutamate to generate neuronal-conditioned medium. R

3. Helps With Anxiety and Stress

Selank is commonly sold over the counter in Russia.

Selank, has shown in clinical trials to be useful against general anxiety disorder (GAD). R

Unlike benzodiazepines, it is not sedating and does not cause addiction or withdrawal. R

Although it can enhance the effects of benzodiazepines. R

It is anxiolytic like other opioids. R

On possible mechanism for selank's effect on anxiety is it's effects on the GABAergic system. R

In rats, tuftsin was able to reduce anxiety-phobic states significantly (by normalizing serotonin levels), without effecting weight. R R

4. Has Anti-Depressant Properties

In rats, selank in high doses (1000-2000 microg/kg), was able to counteract symptoms of depression. R

Selank was able to stimulate hibernating squirrels and induced a more exploratory-like behavior. R

5. Is Neuroprotective, Protecting Against Stroke and Epilepsy

Tuftsin can activate a M2 anti-inflammatory microglial response, increasing specific genes that help with neuroprotection. R

Selank has been shown to rapidly elevate brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus when taken intranasally (in rats). R

Also, selank can regulate ion homeostasis of the hippocampus (in rats). R

Tuftsin is also able to prevent damage from reactive oxygen species in the brain, helping protect against dopaminergic neuronal cell loss. This can possibly help Parkinson's disease. R

Tuftsin works on MAO-A, MAO-B, and acetylcholinesterase and activates dopamine metabolism. R

Activated microglia/macrophages are important contributors to brain injury after hemorrhagic strokes. R

If used soon after the onset of hemorrhage, tuftsin may improve injury volume, edema, and degenerating neurons, while improving the neurological functional outcome. R

In animals, tuftsin is able to protect against epileptic damage caused by high doses of penicillin. R

6. Is Anti-Microbial, Anti-Fungal, and Anti-Viral

Tuftsin deficiency, either hereditary or following splenectomy, can result in an increased susceptibility to certain infections (H. influenza, pneumococci, meningococci and salmonella). R

Tuftsin initiates the production by phagocytes of superoxide and nitroxide radicals, which are necessary for killing phagocytized bacteria. R

Tuftsin can thoroughly destroy several microbes and viruses (not exclusive list):

• Influenza A R
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis R
• Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV1 and HSV2) R
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) R
• Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV)
• Pneumococcus R
• Micrococcus glutamicus R
• Gastroenteritis coronavirus (with muramyl dipeptide and L. casei) R R
• Staphylococcus aureus R
• Bacillus Subtilis and cereus R
• Sarcina flava R
• Streptococcus faecalis R
• Gaffkya tetragena R
• Diplococcus pneumonia R
• Glavobacterium flavescens R
• Pasteurella pseudotuberculosisR
• Listeria R
• Candida albicans R R
• Cryptococcus neoformans (even more effective combining with nystatin) R

7. May Help Against Cancer

Tuftsin stimulates macrophages from the liver spleen and lymph nodes and can mobilize other while blood cells to fight against cancer. R

In vitro, tuftsin can inhibit the growth of tumor cells. R

Tuftsin had anti-tumor properties in both mice and beagles, without causing toxicity to the animals. R R

In animal models, tuftsin has been shown to help:

• Sarcoma and fibrosarcoma R R
• Leukemia R

Tuftsin-based, enediyne-energized, and EGFR-targeting fusion proteins exert highly antitumor efficacy with CD47 modulation (esp in EGFR- and CD47-overexpressing cancers). R

8. Helps Sepsis Recovery and Outcome

Sepsis is still the leading cause of death among critically ill patients in intensive care units. R

Survivors usually suffer from an impaired quality of life. R

There is a significant loss of immunocytes, including B/T lymphocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), gastrointestinal epithelial cells, even thymocytes from the beginning of sepsis as shown both in animal models and septic patients. R

In mice, a tuftsin-derived T-peptide was able to prevent immunosuppression and improve the survival rate. R

9. Helps with Lupus and Arthritis

Tuftsin combined with phosphorylcholine (called TPC) was able to hamper lupus development in mice (by enhancing TGFB and IL-10, while inhibiting IFN-gamma and IL-17). R

TPC was also able to reduce proinflammatory cytokines and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine expression in early rheumatoid arthritis onset. R

10. Helps with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pain

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is comprised of two major phenotypes, Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). R

In mice, TPC was able to significantly prevent colitis symptoms (TNFa, IL-17 and IL-1b was supressed while IL-10 expression was increased). R

11. Increases Efficacy of Vaccines

A vaccine conjugating tuftsin to infectious hepatitis vaccines (HE-ORF2 and HA-VP1), made it more effective. R

Also, conjugating tuftsin to four copies of M2e of influenza A enhanced the antigen-specific immune response. R

Linking tuftsin to envelope glycoproteins 41 (gp41) and 120 (gp120) of HIV enhanced the antigen-specific immune responses. R

Enhanced responses to the combined protein vaccine have been shown to be more effective intranasally, rather than intramuscular. R

Oligotuftsin derivatives can be considered as promising carriers for synthetic vaccines. R