Augmenting regulatory T cells: new therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis

Jiaqian Zhang; Hongjiang Liu; Yuehong Chen; Huan Liu; Shengxiao Zhang; Geng Yin; Qibing Xie

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1312919

Augmenting regulatory T cells: new therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis

Front Immunol. 2024 Jan 23:15:1312919. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1312919. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Jiaqian Zhang¹, Hongjiang Liu¹, Yuehong Chen¹, Huan Liu¹, Shengxiao Zhang², Geng Yin³, Qibing Xie¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
² Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
³ Department of General Practice, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune condition marked by inflammation of the joints, degradation of the articular cartilage, and bone resorption. Recent studies found the absolute and relative decreases in circulating regulatory T cells (Tregs) in RA patients. Tregs are a unique type of cells exhibiting immunosuppressive functions, known for expressing the Foxp3 gene. They are instrumental in maintaining immunological tolerance and preventing autoimmunity. Increasing the absolute number and/or enhancing the function of Tregs are effective strategies for treating RA. This article reviews the studies on the mechanisms and targeted therapies related to Tregs in RA, with a view to provide better ideas for the treatment of RA.

Keywords: Foxp3; Th17; regulatory T cells; rheumatoid arthritis; therapy.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Arthritis, Rheumatoid*
Autoimmunity
Humans
Immune Tolerance
Inflammation / metabolism
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory*

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.82201985), and Key Research and Development (R&D) Projects of Sichuan Province (2021YFS0164).