Engaging natural regulatory myeloid cells to restrict T-cell hyperactivation-induced liver inflammation via extracellular vesicle-mediated purine metabolism regulation

Rationale: Dysregulated T-cell immune response-mediated inflammation plays critical roles in the pathology of diverse liver diseases, but the underlying mechanism of liver immune homeostasis control and the specific therapies for limiting T-cell overactivation remain unclear. Methods: The metabolic changes in concanavalin A (ConA) mice and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients and their associations with liver injury were analyzed. The expression of purine catabolism nucleases (e.g., CD39 and CD73) on liver cells and immune cells was assessed. The effects of MCregs and their extracellular vesicles (EVs) on CD4⁺ T-cell overactivation and the underlying mechanism were also explored. Results: Our findings revealed significant alterations in purine metabolism in ConA mice and AIH patients, which correlated with liver injury severity and therapeutic response. CD39 and CD73 were markedly upregulated on CD11b⁺Gr-1⁺ MCs under liver injury conditions. The naturally expanded CD39⁺CD73⁺Gr-1^highCD11b⁺ MCreg subset during early liver injury effectively suppressed CD4⁺ T-cell hyperactivation and liver injury both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, MCregs released CD73^high EVs, which converted extracellular AMP to immunosuppressive metabolites (e.g., adenosine and inosine), activating the cAMP pathway and inhibiting glycolysis and cytokine secretion in activated CD4⁺ T cells. Conclusions: This study provides insights into the mechanism controlling immune homeostasis during the early liver injury phase and highlights that MCreg or MCreg-EV therapy may be a specific strategy for preventing diverse liver diseases induced by T-cell overactivation.

T cells; extracellular vesicles; liver inflammation; purine metabolism; regulatory myeloid cells.