Fig. 5
From: Regulatory T cells in homeostasis and disease: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential
Role of Tregs in homeostasis and diseases. Tregs are dysfunctional or reduced in number, leading to decreased immune tolerance and the onset of autoimmune diseases. Tregs inhibit antitumor immunity, promote tumor progression, and facilitate immune evasion in cancer immunotherapy. Treg dysfunction drives chronic inflammation and insulin resistance, accelerating the development of T2D and obesity. Tregs secrete anti-inflammatory factors and suppress pro-inflammatory cells, oxidative stress, and plaque progression, thereby limiting immune activation in atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Tregs dysfunction or depletion in neurological diseases disrupts the Th17/Treg balance, driving neuroinflammation and accelerating disease progression. Tregs mitigate immune rejection during transplantation by suppressing rejection responses and minimizing adverse effects. This figure was created with Biorender.com
