Recombinant human thymosin beta 4 improves ischemic cardiac dysfunction in mice and patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after reperfusion

Zhang Y, Dong Q, Bian X, Qiao Z, Cui C, Yang N, Liu J, Fu R, Zhang J, Jia L, Wu C, Guo J, Lin W, Wang J, Fan J, Li Y, Liu F, Yang B, Jia X, Gao C, Bai M, He Y, Han C, Yin D, Dou K · Cardiovascular Research

In the mouse models rhTβ4 preserved cardiac function and cut infarct size via ErbB2/Raf1 signalling. In the 96-patient randomised trial the overall between-group difference in infarcted area at 90 days was not significant; the reduction was seen in the 43 patients who received their first dose within eight hours of PCI.

Population

Patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction after primary PCI (plus mouse ischaemia/reperfusion models)

Intervention

Recombinant human thymosin β4 (rhTβ4)

Comparator

Placebo

Limitations

The headline human result is a subgroup defined by dosing time, not the prespecified overall comparison; single trial, 96 patients, and the authors themselves call for further randomised study.