Got an ‘owwie?’ Could be worse!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Healing a bruise is no fun. But what if we could dial down the pain?
Meet Tregs — an immune cell and zen master. They normally tell overactive immune responses like aches and swellings to “relax, bro.”
Could Tregs also directly soothe pain nerves? Enter Alejandra Mendoza and team from Sloan Kettering.
In mice, they temporarily removed Tregs. Results? Unimaginable pain!
Mouse nerves overreacted to irritants, making inflammation nearly fifty percent worse! Turns out, some Tregs release opioids. Talk about nature’s chill pills.
So next time you take some lumps, remember: your Tregs are doing their best to keep pain in check!
Reference: Mendoza, A., Bou-Puerto, R., Jara, J. S., Dikiy, S., Giovanelli, P., Correa, D., … & Rudensky, A. Y. (2025). Enkephalin-producing regulatory T cells in the skin restrain local inflammation through control of nociception. Science Immunology, 10(111), eadz6869.