The role of follicular T helper cells in the onset and treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Follicular T helper (TFH) cells are a unique subset of CD4+ T cells. Their main function is to participate in the formation of germinal centres (GC) and help B cells produce antibodies for involvement in humoral immune responses. TFH cell dysregulation can cause various autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), systemic lupus erythaematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis. Among them, T1DM is usually accompanied by high levels of autoantibodies, such as insulin antibody (IAA) and glutamate decarboxylase 65 antibody (GAD65Ab). The production of these autoantibodies is closely related to the production and activation of TFH cells in vivo, which promotes the development of T1DM. Therefore, this review will focus on the relationship between TFH cells and T1DM and the possible mechanisms that affect the disease and summarize the current strategies for targeting TFH cells in the treatment of T1DM.