Recombinant thymosin beta 4 in scalp dermatitis
Recombinant human thymosin beta-4 (rhTβ4) improved scalp condition and microbiome homeostasis in seborrheic dermatitis.
Yu R, Lin Q, Zhai Y, Mao Y, Li K, Gao Y, Liu Y, Fu L, Fang T, Zhao M, Guan L, Hou L, Xu J, Chen W. · Microbial biotechnology
Study record
- Population
71 patients with scalp seborrheic dermatitis: placebo shampoo 25, ketoconazole 21, rhTβ4 25. A separate 21-person healthy group is not a randomized treatment arm.
Read source · Full-text reportExperimental procedures — Clinical evaluation; Results Figure 3- Formulation
0.5 mg/mL recombinant human thymosin beta 4 gel, with placebo shampoo; comparator 2% ketoconazole lotion with placebo shampoo. Exact administered gel quantity and product identity are not established by the inspected methods.
Inspect extraction gap · Full-text reportExperimental procedures — Study design- Route
Topical scalp treatment.
Read source · Full-text reportExperimental procedures — Study design- Dose & frequency
Methods describe assigned products every other day for four weeks; rhTβ4 concentration 0.5 mg/mL. Concentration alone is not total administered dose; no human or KLOW regimen is established.
Read source · Full-text reportExperimental procedures — Study design- Study design
Dermatitis patients randomly allocated to three groups; separate healthy comparison. Blinding and allocation concealment not established by the inspected methods.
Read source · Full-text reportExperimental procedures — Clinical evaluation- Duration
Four weeks of intervention; assessments through day 168. Placebo shampoo continued during follow-up. Follow-up is not continuous peptide treatment.
Read source · Full-text reportExperimental procedures — Study design- Reported findings
Flaking and erythema measures improved; authors report advantages over ketoconazole. The rhTβ4 group had higher baseline symptom scores, and absolute scores rose again between days 42 and 168.
Read source · Full-text reportResults — Clinical assessments; Figure 4- Adverse events
Authors describe tolerability, but a structured adverse-event incidence table and ascertainment procedure were not identified in the inspected report; do not infer zero events.
Inspect extraction gap · Full-text reportDiscussion; Experimental procedures- Monitoring
Dermatological examination, scalp flaking/erythema, water loss, hydration, sebum and microbiome sampling at days 0, 7, 14, 28, 42 and 168.
Read source · Full-text reportExperimental procedures — Study design; Clinical evaluation
What it supports
Formulation-specific topical dermatitis research.
What it does not establish
Small groups, baseline imbalance and multiple outcomes. Does not establish injected TB-500, hair-growth benefit, KLOW efficacy or long-term safety.
Funding
No funding information provided; authors declare no competing interests.
Literature search cutoff: 2026-09-08 · Not independently clinically reviewed
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