RESUMO
Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells. Immature dendritic cells can be activated into mature dendritic cells by recognizing antigens, then the antigens are processed and pres-ented to T lymphocytes. DCs play a vital role in initiating immune response, regulating immune response and maintaining immune tolerance. Therefore, regulating the immune function of DCs can be used to treat diseases such as autoimmune diseases and tumors. With the deepening of research on the regulation of DCs, people have gradually realized that the existence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in DCs is of great significance. ROS is a term of strong oxidizing reactive species, and the dynamic balance of its pro-duction and removal is the key to maintaining cell redox homeostasis. ROS of physiological level is an im-portant molecule involved in a variety of signal pathways, which can regulate cell growth, differentiation and different physiological and biochemical reactions. The changes in the level of ROS affect the state and function of cells. In addition, because there are many ways to produce ROS in the cell, the effects of dif-ferent sources of ROS on DCs are not usually the same; and even the same source of ROS may have dif-ferent effects when cells are in different states. This article summarized the influence of intracellular ROS changes and different sources of ROS on the differentiation, maturation and function of DCs, aiming to re-veal how ROS plays an important role in regulating the immune function of DCs. At the same time, this article also showed the urgent need for the in-depth study of ROS regulating the function of DCs, which may help the application of DCs immune regulation to a wider range of disease treatments.