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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Immunological Tolerance and Regulation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1536020
This article is part of the Research Topic Immunometabolism in Immunological Tolerance and Regulation: Novel Mechanisms and Clinical Interventions View all articles

Immunometabolism of Tregs: Mechanisms, Adaptability, and Therapeutic Implications in Diseases

Provisionally accepted
Min Yao Min Yao *Yuming Lu Yuming Lu Yifan Wang Yifan Wang Tiantian Ruan Tiantian Ruan Yihan Wang Yihan Wang Linling Ju Linling Ju Mengya Zhou Mengya Zhou Luyin Liu Luyin Liu Dengfu Yao Dengfu Yao *
  • Nantong University, Nantong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Immunometabolism is an emerging field that explores the intricate interplay between immune cells and metabolism. Regulatory T cells (Tregs), which maintain immune homeostasis in immunometabolism, play crucial regulatory roles. The activation, differentiation, and function of Tregs are influenced by various metabolic pathways, such as the Mammalian targets of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and glycolysis. Correspondingly, activated Tregs can reciprocally impact these metabolic pathways. Tregs also possess robust adaptive capabilities, thus enabling them to adapt to various microenvironments, including the tumor microenvironment (TME). The complex mechanisms of Tregs in metabolic diseases are intriguing, particularly in conditions like MASLD, where Tregs are significantly upregulated and contribute to fibrosis, while in diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), they show downregulation and reduced anti-inflammatory capacity. These phenomena suggest that the differentiation and function of Tregs are influenced by the metabolic environment, and imbalances in either can lead to the development of metabolic diseases. Thus, moderate differentiation and inhibitory capacity of Tregs are critical for maintaining immune system balance. Given the unique immunoregulatory abilities of Tregs, the development of targeted therapeutic drugs may position them as novel targets in immunotherapy. This could contribute to restoring immune system balance, resolving metabolic dysregulation, and fostering innovation and progress in immunotherapy.

    Keywords: Immunometabolism, Tregs, Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic pathways, microenvironment, Inflammation

    Received: 28 Nov 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Yao, Lu, Wang, Ruan, Wang, Ju, Zhou, Liu and Yao. 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:
    Min Yao, Nantong University, Nantong, China
    Dengfu Yao, Nantong University, Nantong, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.