The potential for treg-enhancing therapies in nervous system pathologies
Open Access
- 30 August 2022
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Clinical and Experimental Immunology
- Vol. 211 (2), 108-121
- https://doi.org/10.1093/cei/uxac084
Abstract
While inflammation may not be the cause of disease, it is well known that it contributes to disease pathogenesis across a multitude of peripheral and central nervous system disorders. Chronic and overactive inflammation due to an effector T-cell-mediated aberrant immune response ultimately leads to tissue damage and neuronal cell death. To counteract peripheral and neuroinflammatory responses, research is being focused on regulatory T cell enhancement as a therapeutic target. Regulatory T cells are an immunosuppressive subpopulation of CD4+ T helper cells essential for maintaining immune homeostasis. The cells play pivotal roles in suppressing immune responses to maintain immune tolerance. In so doing, they control T cell proliferation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production curtailing autoimmunity and inflammation. For nervous system pathologies, Treg are known to affect the onset and tempo of neural injuries. To this end, we review recent findings supporting Treg’s role in disease, as well as serving as a therapeutic agent in multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Guillain–Barre syndrome, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. An ever-broader role for Treg in the control of neurologic disease has been shown for traumatic brain injury, stroke, neurotrophic pain, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. To such ends, this review serves to examine the role played by Tregs in nervous system diseases with a focus on harnessing their functional therapeutic role(s).Funding Information
- National Institutes of Health (2P20GM103427, P01 DA028555, R01 NS36126, P01 NS31492, P01 MH64570, P01 NS43985, P30 MH062261, R01 AG043540, 2R01 NS034239)
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