Regulatory macrophages and tolerogenic dendritic cells in myeloid regulatory cell-based therapies

Abstract

Myeloid regulatory cell-based therapy has been shown to be a promising cell-based me-dicinal approach in organ transplantation and for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient antigen-presenting cells and can naturally acquire tolerogenic properties through a variety of differentiation signals and stimuli. Several subtypes of DCs have been generated using additional agents, including vitamin D3, rapamycin and dexamethasone, or immuno-suppressive cytokines, such as interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). These cells have been extensively studied in animals and humans to develop clinical-grade tolero-genic (tol)DCs. Regulatory macrophages (Mregs) are another type of protective myeloid cell that provide a tolerogenic environment, and have mainly been studied within the context of research on organ transplantation. This review aims to thoroughly describe the ex vivo generation of tolDCs and Mregs, their mechanism of action, as well as their therapeutic application and assessment in human clinical trials.