Research progress on targeted regulation of regulatory T cells in new strategies for dry eye treatment

Authors:Liu Lirui, Xu Wen

Corresponding author: Xu Wen, Email:xuwen2003@zju.edu.cn

Published:2026-08-10

DOI:10.3760/cma.j.cn115989-20230720-00044

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ABSTRACT 

Dry eye is a multifactorial ocular surface disease characterized by the loss of tear film homeostasis caused by many factors, which is often accompanied by ocular surface discomfort, and the related immune mechanism is involved in its occurrence and development. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the main negative regulatory cells of the immune response, which play an important role in the regulation of allergy, autoimmunity, graft-versus-host reaction, and other immune responses. In dry eye, the inhibitory function of Tregs is impaired, and Th17/Treg imbalance leads to the progression of the disease and the collapse of self-tolerance. This article reviews the classification and molecular markers of Tregs in dry eye, the number and functional changes of subsets, the mechanism of action, plasticity, the effects of current treatments on Tregs, and how to use existing treatments to regulate Tregs frequency or function to treat dry eye.

KEYWORDS：

Dry eye;Regulatory T cells;Immunoregulation;Targeted therapy

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Authors Info & Affiliations 

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References click to collapse

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