Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thymus und andere Immunstimulanzien

Faktor AF2, Biobran®, Avemar®

Thymus and other immune stimulants

Factor AF2, Biobran, Avemar

  • In der Diskussion: Komplementäre Onkologie
  • Published:
Der Onkologe Aims and scope

Zusammenfassung

Zu den unspezifischen in der Onkologie verwendeten Immunstimulanzien gehören Thymuspräparate, Faktor AF2, Biobran® und Avemar®. Hinweise auf mögliche Wirkmechanismen stammen aus präklinischen Untersuchungen. Für Thymuspräparate liegt eine Reihe klinischer Studien v. a. zur supportiven Therapie vor. Ein überzeugender Wirkungsnachweis gelang bisher nicht. Für keines der Präparate liegen belastbare Untersuchungsergebnisse vor, die eine antitumorale Wirkung belegen. Eine Indikation für den Einsatz dieser Präparate außerhalb von Studien gibt es deshalb derzeit nicht.

Abstract

Different extracts from the thymus, Factor AF2, Biobran, and Avemar, are nonspecific immune activators. Hints on their possible mechanisms of action originate from preclinical data, and clinical effects of thymus preparations used as supportive agents have been published, but there is no convincing proof of such effects. An antitumoral effect has not been shown for any of the nonspecific immune stimulants, and there is no indication for using these substances outside of studies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Literatur

  1. Botturi M et al (1993) Effects of immunomodulation on antineoplastic radiotherapy, Radiol Med (Torino) 86(3):327–335

    Google Scholar 

  2. Iaffaioli RV et al (1988-89) Effect of thymic extract ‘thymostimulin‘on the incidence of infections and myelotoxicity during adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, Thymus 12(2):69–75

    Google Scholar 

  3. Braga M et al (1994) Impact of thymopentin on the incidence and severity of postoperative enfection, Br J Surg 81(2):205–208

    Google Scholar 

  4. Elia P et al (1994) Prevention of immunodeficiency and postoperative infective complications in patients undergoing surgical resection for carcinoma of the colon-rectum, Minerva Chir 49(6):575–580

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gebbia V et al (1994) A prospective randomized trial of thymopentin versus granulocyte – colony stimulating factor with or without thymopentin in the prevention of febrile episodes in cancer patients undergoing highly cytotoxic chemotherapy, Anticancer Res 14(2B):731–734

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dillman RO et al (1987) Phase II trial of thymosin fraction 5 and thymosin alpha 1, J Biol Response Mod 6(3):263–267

    Google Scholar 

  7. Grismondi GL et al (1995) Thymopentin and cervico-vaginal HPV infection associated with CIN, Minerva Ginecol 47(6):255–267

    Google Scholar 

  8. Serra GE et al (1992) Proposal for the treatment of cervix dysplasia with immunomodulators, Minerva Ginecol 44(1–2):15–18

    Google Scholar 

  9. Mallmann P et al (1990) Investigation on cell-mediated immunity in patients with breast and ovarian carcinomas receiving a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy with thymopentin, Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 12(5):333–340

    Google Scholar 

  10. Mallmann P et al (1989) The effect of immunotherapy with thymopentin on the parameters of cellular immunity and the clinical course of gynaecologic tumor patients, Onkologie 12(Suppl 3):15–21

    Google Scholar 

  11. Mallmann P et al (1991) The effect of adjuvant combined chemo/immunotherapy on immunological parameters and clinical course in patients with breast carcinoma, Zentralbl Gynakol 113(12):697–706

    Google Scholar 

  12. Przybilla B et al (1983) Treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas with TP-5, Evaluation of the clinical effect in 8 patients, Acta erm Venereol 63(6):524–529

    Google Scholar 

  13. Bernengo MG et al (1988) Immunomodulation and Sezary syndrome, Br J Dermatol 119(2):207–221

    Google Scholar 

  14. Bernengo MG et al (1991) Thymopentin in Sezary syndrome, J Natl Cancer Inst 84(17):1341–1346

    Google Scholar 

  15. Cascinelli N et al (1993) Perinodular injection of thymopentin (TP5) in cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases of melanoma, Melanoma Res 3(6):471–476

    Google Scholar 

  16. Cascinelli N et al (1998) Evaluation of clinical efficacy and tolerability of intravenous high dose thymopentin in advanced melanoma patients, Melanoma Res 8(1):83–89

    Google Scholar 

  17. Clemente C et al (1996) Biological activity and clinical efficacy of intravenous high-dose thymopentin in metastatic melanoma patients, Melanoma Res 6(1):63–69

    Google Scholar 

  18. Dollinger MM et al (2008a) Thymostimulin in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a phase II trial, BMC Cancer 8:72

  19. Bodey B et al (2000) Review of thymic hormones in cancer diagnosis and treatment, Int J immunopharmacol 22(4):261–273

    Google Scholar 

  20. Larsson LI et al (2007) Localization of thymosin beta-4 in tumors, Ann N Y Acad Sci 1112:317–325

    Google Scholar 

  21. Zhang Y et al (2008) Thymosin Beta 4 is overexpressed in human pancreatic cancer cells and stimulates proinflammatory cytokine secretion and JNK activation, Cancer Biol Ther 7(3):419–423

    Google Scholar 

  22. Oh JM et al (2008) Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF)-1 alpha stabilization by actin-sequestering protein, thymosin beta-4 (TB4) in Hela cervical tumor cells, Cancer Lett 264(1):29–35

    Google Scholar 

  23. Moon EY et al (2007) Actin-sequestering protein, thymosin-beta-4 (TB4), inhibits caspase-3 activation in paclitaxel-induced tumor cell death, Oncol Res 16(11):507–516

    Google Scholar 

  24. Gu YM et al (2008a) Elevated thymosin beta 15 expression is associated with progression and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer, APMIS 116(6):484–490

    Google Scholar 

  25. Gu YM et al (2008b) Expression of thymosin beta 10 and the role in non-small cell lung cancer, Hum Pathol

  26. Bedikian AY et al (1984) Prospective evalutation of thymosin fraction V immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving vindesine, doxorubicin and cixplatin chemotherapy, Am J Clin Oncol 7(5):399–404

    Google Scholar 

  27. Papadopoulos I et al (1989) Reducing the side effects of aggressive chemotherapy, Onkologie 12(Suppl 3):26–31

    Google Scholar 

  28. Krege S (2002) Bewertung des Komplementärtherapeutikums Factor AF2 als Supportivum in der Behandlung des fortgeschrittenen Urothelkarzinoms, Der Urologe A, Springer-Verlag GmbH, 41(2):S 164–168

  29. Reddy BS et al (2000) Preventive potential of wheat bran fractions against experimental coloncarcinogenesis: implications for human colon cancer prevention. Cancer Res 60:4792–4798

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Nichelatti M et al (2002) Experimental and clinical results with AvemarR (a dried extract from fermented weath germ) in animal cancer models and in cancer patients. Nog Oncologia 7:40–41

    Google Scholar 

  31. Boros LG et al (2001) Pancreas 23:141–147

  32. Illmer Ch et al (2005) Immunologic and biochemical effects of the fermented wheat germ extract AvemarR. Exp Biol Med 230:144–149

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Hidvegi (1998) nicht vorhanden, aber aufgeführt im Text

  34. Hidvegi (1999) nicht vorhanden, aber aufgeführt im Text

  35. Demidrov LV et al (2002) Antimetastatic effect of AvemarR in high risk melanoma patients (abstract P868). In: Programm of teh18th UICC International Cancer Congress, Oslo, Norway. Int J Cancer 100(Suppl 13):408

    Google Scholar 

  36. Garami M et al (n d) Fermeted wheat germ extract reduces chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in pedeatric cancer patients

  37. Ghoneum M et al (2003) Modified arabinoxylan rice bran (MGN-3/ Biobran)sensitizes human T cell leukaemia cells to death receptor (CD-95-) induced apoptosis. Cancer lett 201(1):41–49

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Ghoneum M et al (2004) Enhancement of natural killer cell activity of aged mice by modified arabinoxylan rice bran (MGN-3/Biobran). J Pharm Pharmacol 56(12):1581–1588

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Gollapudi S et al (2008) MGN-3/Biobran, modified arabinoxylan from rice bran, sensitizes human breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agent, daunorubicin. Cancer Detect Prev 32(1):1–6. Epub 2008 Apr 11

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. McDermot C et al (2006) A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of natural killer cell stimulant (BioBran MGN-3) in chronic fatigue syndrome. Q J Med 99:461–468

    Google Scholar 

  41. de Ojeda G et al (1994) Polygera, a biological response modifier enhancing T-lymphocyte-dependent responses, Res Exp Med 194(4):261–267

    Google Scholar 

  42. Zarkovic N et al (1998) Spleen peptides (Polyerga) inhibit development of artificial lung metastases of murine mammary carcinoma and increase efficiency of chemotherapy in mice, Cancer Biother Radiopharm 13(1):25–32

    Google Scholar 

  43. Jurin M et al (1996) Porcine splenic peptides (Polyerga) decrease the number of experimental lung metastases in mice, Clin Ecp Metastasis 14(1):55–60

    Google Scholar 

  44. Borghardt J et al (2000) Effects of a spleen peptide preparation as supportive therapy in inoperable head and neck cancer patients, Arzneimittelforschung 50(2):178–184

    Google Scholar 

  45. Szende B et al (2004) Effect of simultaneous administration of AvemarR and cytostatic drugs on viability of cell cultures, growth of eperimental tumors and survival tumorbearing mice. Cancer Biother Radiopharm 19(3):343–349

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Jakab F et al (2003) A medical nutriment has supportive value in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Br J Cancer 89(3):465–469

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Interessenkonflikt

Der korrespondierende Autor gibt an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hämatologie und intern. Onkologie, Med. Klinik IV, Klinikum Bayreuth GmbH, Bayreuth, Deutschland

    C. Stoll

  2. Onkologische Abteilung, Habichtswald-Klinik Kassel, Wigandstraße 1, 34131, Kassel, Deutschland

    J. Hübner

Authors
  1. C. Stoll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Hübner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Hübner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stoll, C., Hübner, J. Thymus und andere Immunstimulanzien. Onkologe 15, 1025–1030 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00761-009-1688-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00761-009-1688-y

Schlüsselwörter

Keywords

Search

Navigation