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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Alloimmunity and Transplantation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1565158
The Immune Tolerance Role of Bregs in Inhibiting Human Inflammatory Diseases, with a Focus on Diabetes Mellitus
Provisionally accepted- 1West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 2Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, China
- 3Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States
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Regulatory B cells (Bregs) are pivotal modulators of immune tolerance, suppressing inflammation through cytokine secretion and cellular interactions. Their role is particularly significant in inflammatory diseases such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM), where immune dysregulation contributes to disease progression. In T1DM, Bregs mitigate β-cell autoimmunity via IL-10 production and FOXP3-mediated pathways, but genetic mutations and dysfunctions in these mechanisms exacerbate autoimmunity. In T2DM, chronic inflammation and metabolic stress impair Breg numbers and function, further fueling insulin resistance. While Bregs play a central role in T1DM by directly preventing β-cell destruction, their role in T2DM is more supportive, modulating inflammation in metabolically stressed tissues. Emerging therapeutic strategies aim to enhance Breg function through IL-10 induction, ex vivo expansion, or targeting Breg-specific pathways using gene-editing and small molecules. Future research should explore Breg heterogeneity, novel markers, and personalized therapies to unlock their full potential. Understanding and leveraging the immune tolerance role of Bregs may offer transformative strategies to inhibit inflammatory diseases like diabetes mellitus.
Keywords: Regulatory B cells (Bregs), Interleukin-10 (IL-10), Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM), β-cell autoimmunity, Islet β-cell
Received: 22 Jan 2025; Accepted: 10 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qi, Liao, Liu, Song, Tian and Wang. 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: Yi Wang, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, 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.