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Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Author Spotlight: Achieving High-Purity In Vitro Differentiation of Th17 Cells Using Cytokine Concentration Modulation
Published on: October 25, 2024
Th17 plasticity: pathophysiology and treatment of chronic inflammatory disorders
Lorenzo Cosmi1, Veronica Santarlasci1, Laura Maggi1
1Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine and DENOTHE Center, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy; Regenerative Medicine Unit and Immunology and Cellular Therapy Unit of Azienda Ospedaliera Careggi, Florence 50134, Italy.
Abstract:
CD4+ T cells can be classified from a functional point of view in different lineages, the most extensively studied being the Th1, Th2, and Th17. Recent evidence suggest that the acquisition of a certain phenotype is not irreversible, and lymphocytes can acquire features of different effector fates upon adequate stimuli. In particular, Th17 lymphocytes in inflammatory conditions can start to produce IFN-γ or IL-4, shifting towards a Th17/Th1 or Th17/Th2 phenotype, respectively. Th17/Th1 and Th17/Th2 cells, seems to be more pathogenic than the unshifted cells. The possibility to interfere with this modulation of phenotype can be considered a possible target for developing novel therapeutic strategies in those inflammatory conditions in which the shifting of Th17 cells, particularly towards the Th1 phenotype, can occur.
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