Peptide drug Thymalin, isolated from the calve thymus, is successfully used for the treatment of various immunopathologies, including those in older age groups. The molecular mechanism of the Thymalin immunoprotective action is due to the effects of the short peptides KE, EW, EDP in its composition. These short peptides can specifically bind to double-stranded DNA and/or histone proteins and regulate gene expression, synthesis of immune system proteins, activity of gerontogenes, and stimulate stem cell differentiation. Regulation of immunogenesis is a key factor preventing the development of the “cytokine storm” that develops in severe COVID-19. The purpose of this work is to study the effectiveness of Thymalin in severe COVID-19 in older patients. Patients administered with Thymalin against the background of a standard therapy (n = 36) manifested a more rapid clinical improvement, higher proportions of recovery from lymphopenia, faster normalization of the concentration of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, the number of lymphocytes and NK-cells in the blood, compared to patients who received a standard therapy only (n = 44). Thymalin halved hospital mortality in older patients with severe COVID-19. The results obtained showed the effectiveness of Thymalin administration in the complex therapy of patients with severe COVID-19.
Thymalin (registration number LS-000267 dated February 26, 2010, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation) is a medicinal drug based on a polypeptide complex isolated from the calve thymus. Thymalin is effective in case of various infectious diseases (hepatitis A and B, erysipelas, meningococcal infection, typhoid fever), acute respiratory diseases, pneumonia of various origins, cavernous pulmonary tuberculosis [2, 14, 15]. Administration of Thymalin reduced the incidence of acute respiratory infections in senior patients 2.0–2.4-fold [32].
Thymalin reduced mortality in senior patients over a 6-year observation period [12]. Thymalin is accumulated in epithelial cells of the human respiratory tract during early embryogenesis [20]. Thymalin prevents the “cytokine storm,” which develops during COVID-19, reducing the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-lα, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α in the blood [18]. Thymalin reduces the intensity of intravascular blood coagulation in the development of hypercoagulability syndrome [14, 15], which is known as a common cause of complications in patients with severe COVID-19.
