What is thymosin alpha-1, and what is it studied for?

What is the structure of Thymosin Alpha-1?

Twenty-eight residues, highly acidic, with an N-terminal acetyl group that blocks Edman sequencing and no cysteine, so no disulfide. The sequence is the N-terminal fragment of prothymosin alpha. Its mass of 3108.3 is confirmed by LC-MS/MS on the current certificate, which is the appropriate method for a peptide of this length.

Identifier	Value
Molecular formula	C129H215N33O55
Molecular weight	3108.3 g/mol
Residues	28
CAS number	62304-98-7
PubChem CID	16130571
Current lot	TA110-0803

How is Thymosin Alpha-1 thought to work?

Reported to act through Toll-like receptor signalling on dendritic cells and to promote T-cell differentiation; the pharmacology is better characterised than for most peptides in this catalogue because of decades of pharmaceutical development, but the precise receptor interactions remain debated.

Which research areas use Thymosin Alpha-1?

Area	Typical models and endpoints
T-cell differentiation	Thymocyte and peripheral T-cell maturation assays.
Innate immune signalling	Dendritic-cell activation and Toll-like receptor readouts.
Cytokine profiling	Interleukin and interferon measurements in immune-cell cultures.
Peptide characterisation	An acetylated 28-mer used in LC-MS/MS method work and acetylation detection.

What does the published literature show?

Goldstein et al. (PNAS, 1977) reported the isolation and sequence. Thymalfasin has been studied in regulated trials in hepatitis and as an immune adjuvant and is approved in a number of countries, though not by the FDA; those trials describe a pharmaceutical product and are given as context only. Research use of the material here is in-vitro and preclinical.

How is Thymosin Alpha-1 handled in the laboratory?

Dissolves in water; a slightly basic buffer helps because of the many acidic residues. No oxidation-prone residues. Store lyophilized at minus 20 °C; aliquot and freeze solutions; adsorption is modest for an acidic peptide but low-binding tubes are still prudent at low concentration. The concentration table covers volumes and syringe units; the storage guide covers stability by compound class.

What does the current certificate show?

Lot TA110-0803 tested at 99.78% purity by RP-HPLC (214 nm), identity confirmed by LC-MS/MS, endotoxin <0.05 EU/mL. The certificate is in the COA library and the lot number on the vial matches it. Sold as 10 mg per vial at $125, for laboratory research only.

Certificate history for Thymosin Alpha-1

Every certificate the library holds for this compound, newest first. A replaced lot stays listed so the history can be read; the certificate dataset reads all 114 together.

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Goldstein AL, Low TL, McAdoo M, et al. Thymosin alpha1: isolation and sequence analysis of an immunologically active thymic polypeptide. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1977;74(2):725-729.
2. PubChem CID 16130571, Thymalfasin. National Library of Medicine. Read 2 October 2026.

Clinical results cited above describe regulated trials of pharmaceutical products and are given as context for research interest only. Nothing on this page describes or recommends use of the material sold here in humans or animals.