Role of thymosin alpha-1 in improving pregnancy outcomes in patients with implantation failure
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20262185Keywords:
Implantation failure, Infertility, Recurrent, ThymosinAbstract
Background: Implantation failure remains a significant challenge in assisted reproductive technology, with nearly 10–15% of couples experiencing recurrent issues despite multiple treatment attempts. Immune dysregulation is believed to contribute substantially to this condition. Thymosin Alpha-1, an immunomodulatory agent, may improve reproductive outcomes. This study evaluated its effectiveness as an adjunct therapy in patients with implantation failure in an Indian clinical setting.
Methods: This retrospective study analyzed a prospectively maintained database of patients diagnosed with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) who received thymosin alpha-1 therapy. Demographic details, clinical characteristics, infertility profile, prior treatment history, dosing regimen and pregnancy outcomes were evaluated
Results: A total of 102 participants were included. The mean age was 34.62±5.80 years and the mean BMI was 30.59±1.80 kg/m². The mean duration of infertility was 9.06±5.73 years. Pregnancy was achieved in 62 (60.8%) women following thymosin alpha-1 therapy, while 40 (39.2%) did not conceive. Most participants received 12 doses (58.8%), with a mean dose of 11.18 and median of 12 doses. The most common infertility etiology was diminished ovarian reserve (58.0%), followed by male factor (40.0%).
Conclusions: Thymosin alpha-1 was associated with encouraging pregnancy outcomes, with 60.8% achieving conception. These findings suggest a potential benefit of immunomodulatory therapy in implantation failure; however, larger controlled studies are needed to confirm its efficacy.
References
Makrigiannakis A, Motrenko T, Lahimer M. Implantation failure: where to look up. J Clin Med. 2025;14(22):8163.
Muter J, Lynch VJ, McCoy RC, Brosens JJ. Human embryo implantation. Dev Camb Engl. 2023;150:01507.
Popovic M, Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM. Emerging in vitro platforms and omics technologies for studying the endometrium and early embryo-maternal interface in humans. Placenta. 2022;125:36–46.
Singh H, Aplin JD. Adhesion molecules in endometrial epithelium: Tissue integrity and embryo implantation. J Anat. 2009;215:3–13.
Saghian R, Bogle G, James JL, Clark AR. Establishment of maternal blood supply to the placenta: Insights into plugging, unplugging and trophoblast behaviour from an agent-based model. Interface Focus. 2019;9:6519.
Bashiri A, Halper KI, Orvieto R. Recurrent Implantation Failure-update overview on etiology, diagnosis, treatment and future directions. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018;16(1):121.
Ma J, Gao W, Li D. Recurrent implantation failure: A comprehensive summary from etiology to treatment. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023;13:1061766.
ESHRE Working Group on Recurrent Implantation Failure; Cimadomo D, de Los Santos MJ, Griesinger G, Lainas G, Le Clef N, et al. ESHRE good practice recommendations on recurrent implantation failure. Hum Reprod Open. 2023;2:8723.
Hirachan A, Bakshi R. Enhancing embryo implantation success: the role of alpha thymosin in modulating immune response in recurrent implantation failure. Res J Med Sci. 2024;18:306‐10.
Rajan A, Sampath A, Supriya MS, Dhanasekaran RK. Successful pregnancy after administration of thymosin alpha-1 in a woman with recurrent implantation failure. Int J Pharm Clin Res. 2024;6(2):73-5.
Genest G, Banjar S, Almasri W, Beauchamp C, Benoit J, Buckett W, et al. Immunomodulation for unexplained recurrent implantation failure: where are we now. Reproduction. 2023;165(2):39-60.
Dominari A, Hathaway Iii D, Pandav K, Matos W, Biswas S, Reddy G, et al. Thymosin alpha 1: A comprehensive review of the literature. World J Virol. 2020;9(5):67-78.
Meng S, Zhang T, Li C, Zhang X, Shen H. Immunoregulatory therapy improves reproductive outcomes in elevated th1/th2 women with embryo transfer failure. Biomed Res Int. 2022;26:4184.
Yang X, Qian F, He HY, Liu KJ, Lan YZ, Ni B, et al. Effect of thymosin alpha-1 on subpopulations of Th1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2012;45(1):25-32.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
