[Mechanisms of suppression of regulatory T-cells (Treg)].

An important feature of immunology is understanding how the immune system is able to discriminate between self and non-self. Regulatory T-cells (Treg) actively inhibit immune responses involved in the pathological and physiological responses, and, in consequence, contribute to the maintenance of homeostasis. The characterization of these regulatory T-cells has been controversial due to the lack of exclusive markers for their identification and isolation. The mechanisms that regulatory T-cells use to function are: cytokines, death cells, modullation of the microenvironment, and surface receptors. The immune system and Treg cells have been related to obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus through the inflammatory process. In this work, we review the proposed markers for Treg cells, recent data on the mechanism used for the main function of Treg cells, immune regulation, and we conclude with the impact of these cells on obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.