Navigating the metabolic landscape of regulatory T cells: from autoimmune diseases to tumor microenvironments

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential for maintaining immune homeostasis, playing crucial roles in modulating autoimmune conditions and contributing to the suppressive tumor microenvironment. Their cellular metabolism governs their generation, stability, proliferation, and suppressive function. Enhancing Treg metabolism to boost their suppressive function offers promising therapeutic potential for alleviating inflammatory symptoms in autoimmune diseases. Conversely, inhibiting Treg metabolism to reduce their suppressive function can enhance the efficacy of traditional immunotherapy in cancer patients. This review explores recent advances in targeting Treg metabolism in autoimmune diseases and the metabolic adaptations of Tregs within the tumor microenvironment that increase their immunosuppressive function.