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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1312919

Augmenting Regulatory T Cells: New Therapeutic Strategy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Jiaqian Zhang1 Hongjiang Liu2 Yuehong Chen2 Huan Liu2 Sheng-Xiao Zhang3 Qibing Xie2* Geng Yin4*
  • 1Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
  • 2Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, China
  • 3Department of Rheumatology, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, China
  • 4Department of General Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China

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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: regulatory T cells, Rheumatoid arthritis, therapy, Foxp3, Th17

Received: 10 Oct 2023; Accepted: 08 Jan 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Liu, Chen, Liu, Zhang, Xie and Yin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Dr. Qibing Xie, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Dr. Geng Yin, Department of General Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China