《生命科学》 2023, 35(5): 671-677

激素对胸腺发育影响的研究进展

李　论^1,2,3 , 李　喜^1,2,3 , 陈　喆^1,2,3 , 田振振^1,2,3 , 余　祥^1,2,3 , 宋银宏^1,2,3,*

¹肿瘤微环境与免疫治疗湖北省重点实验室(三峡大学)，宜昌 443002；2 三峡大学感染 与炎症损伤研究所，宜昌 443002 ²三峡大学感染 与炎症损伤研究所，宜昌 443002 ³三峡大学基础医学院，宜昌 443002

摘　要：

胸腺是负责T 细胞分化、发育和成熟的中枢免疫器官。生长激素、糖皮质激素、促甲状腺激素、性激素、胸腺肽α1 等多种激素均会影响胸腺的发育。其中，生长激素可以促进胸腺细胞的增殖和迁移，而糖皮质激素会促进发育中的胸腺细胞发生凋亡，性激素对胸腺细胞的作用可表现为性别二态性，其他激素
在胸腺发育中也发挥重要功能。胸腺不仅会发生增龄性衰退，临床的一些治疗措施如放疗、化疗等也会导致胸腺的萎缩，从而使成熟T 细胞生成减少，机体免疫力下降，极大增加罹患感染和肿瘤的风险。因此，以激素为着眼点，促进胸腺发育从而增强免疫功能，达到抗感染和抗肿瘤的目的，已成为目前的研究热点。本文就激素对胸腺发育影响的研究现状及应用进展进行综述，以期为激素的临床应用提供一定的理论基础。

通讯作者：宋银宏 , Email:syh728@126.com

Research advances in the effects of hormones on thymus development

LI Lun^1,2,3 , LI Xi^1,2,3 , CHEN Zhe^1,2,3 , TIAN Zhen-Zhen^1,2,3 , YU Xiang^1,2,3 , SONG Yin-Hong^1,2,3,*

¹Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China ²Institute of Infection and Inflammation, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China ³College of Basic Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China

Abstract:

The thymus is the central immune organ responsible for the differentiation, development and maturation of T cells. Growth hormone, glucocorticoid, thyrotropin, sex hormone, thymosin alpha 1, and other hormones are able to affect the development of the thymus. Among them, growth hormone promotes the proliferation and  migration of thymocytes, while glucocorticoid induces  apoptosis of developing thymocytes. The effects of sex hormones on thymocytes show gender dimorphism.  Other hormones also play important roles in thymus development. The thymus not only declines with aging,  but also shrinks due to some clinical treatment measures such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which reduces  the production of mature T cells, undermining  individual's immunity. As a result, the prevalence of infection and cancer is increased sharply. Therefore, it has been a research hotspot that hormones are regulated to improve the development of thymus and enhance immunity, aiming to antiinfection and anti-cancer. Here, we review the effect of hormones on the development of thymus, providing a theoretical basis for the hormones’ application in clinic.

Communication Author：SONG Yin-Hong , Email:syh728@126.com