Abstracto

Th17/Treg Imbalance in Hypertension

Ya-Nan Du, Xiao-Feng Tang, Lian Xu, Ping Jin Gao and Wei Qing Han*

The T helper 17 cells (Th17 cells) are a type of T cells that plays an important role in the adaptive immune system. Studies show that Th17/regulatory T cells (Treg) imbalance, as characterized by increased Th17 and decreased Treg, plays a critical role in inflammation in various cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. The study of Th17/Treg imbalance in hypertension may uncover important triggers and endogenous modulators of the disease, and lead to new treatment strategies. This review outlines current insights into Th17/Treg frontiers associated with hypertension and discusses the questions that remain in this field.