Implications of regulatory T cells in anti-cancer immunity: from pathogenesis to therapeutics

Mitesh Dwivedi; Sanjay Tiwari; E Helen Kemp; Rasheedunnisa Begum

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10450

Implications of regulatory T cells in anti-cancer immunity: from pathogenesis to therapeutics

Heliyon. 2022 Aug 27;8(8):e10450. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10450. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Authors

Mitesh Dwivedi¹, Sanjay Tiwari², E Helen Kemp³, Rasheedunnisa Begum⁴

Affiliations

¹ C. G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Uka Tarsadia University, Tarsadi, Surat, Gujarat, 394350, India.
² Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Raebareli, Lucknow, 226002, Uttar Pradesh, India.
³ Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2RX, UK.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, 390 002, Gujarat, India.

Abstract

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in maintaining immune tolerance and suppressing inflammation. However, Tregs present major hurdle in eliciting potent anti-cancer immune responses. Therefore, curbing the activity of Tregs represents a novel and efficient way towards successful immunotherapy of cancer. Moreover, there is an emerging interest in harnessing Treg-based strategies for augmenting anti-cancer immunity in different types of the disease. This review summarises the crucial mechanisms of Tregs' mediated suppression of anti-cancer immunity and strategies to suppress or to alter such Tregs to improve the immune response against tumors. Highlighting important clinical studies, the review also describes current Treg-based therapeutic interventions in cancer, and discusses Treg-suppression by molecular targeting, which may emerge as an effective cancer immunotherapy and as an alternative to detrimental chemotherapeutic agents.

Keywords: Anti-cancer immunity; CD4+ T cells; CD8+ T cells; Cancer; Regulatory T cells; Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Publication types

Review