Oxidative Stress and Treg and Th17 Dysfunction in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Figure 3

Oxidative stress and mTOR-mediated Th17/Treg imbalance in SLE patients. Oxidative stress can elicit the activation of mTORC1 and mTORC2. Both mTORC1 and mTORC2 can then inhibit Foxp3-mediated Treg cell development. mTORC1 promotes the expansion of Th17 cells via activating STAT3 and RORγt. And antioxidant therapy and mTOR blockade might be useful for regulating Th17 and Treg cell immune balance in SLE patients.