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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jul 22.
Published in final edited form as: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Jan 6;1247:69–82. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06297.x

Figure 1. Mechanisms in thymic involution.

Figure 1

Traditionally, increased production of sex hormones, intrathymic production of inflammatory mediators and the age-dependent change in lineage commitment of hematopoietic stem cells have been associated with thymic involution. Recently identified accelerators of thymic involution are obesity and possibly PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) stimulators that are routinely used in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus and that support adipocyte differentiation and invasion into the perivascular space.