Abstract
The suppressive effects of facteur thymique serique (FTS) on alloxan-induced mouse diabetes were investigated in a detailed manner. The elevation of blood glucose was suppressed at a dose of 1 μg to 100 μg per animal in a biophasic manner. The timing of FTS injection was effective only within 5 min before alloxan treatment. The administration of and-FTS antibody prevented the suppressive effect of FTS on alloxan-induced diabetes. The clearance of FTS from blood circulation was significantly fast with a calculated initial half life of 2 to 3 min following i.v injection. The frequent administration of FTS would be necessary due to the rapid clearance of it from circulation. So, a potential sustained-release drug delivery system was developed by using liposomes. Liposomes containing gangliosides GM1 (GM1-LP) were effective in extending the timing of FTS pretreatment. These results suggest that liposomal FTS might be applicable as a therapeutic agent for diabetes.
