Abstract

Regulation of immune responses is crucial in order to maintain immunological self-tolerance. This is maintained in the periphery by a number of cell types that have the capacity to control and regulate immune responses, thus preventing reactivity to self while monitoring appropriate, non-exuberant responses to non-self-antigens. The various mechanisms of regulation will be discussed in this review together with how this knowledge could be used to develop better drugs and treatments for various diseases.

Keywords: CD4+CD25+ regulatory cells, Tr1, Th3, immuno-modulatory drugs