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The T helper (Th) cell subsets are characterized by the type of cytokines produced and the master transcription factor expressed. Th1 cells participate in cell-mediated immunity, whereas Th2 cells promote humoral immunity. Furthermore, the two subsets can control each other. Thereby, Th1–Th2 balance offered a key paradigm in understanding the induction and regulation of immune pathology in autoimmune and other diseases. However, over the past decade, Th17 cells producing interleukin-17 (IL-17) have emerged as the major pathogenic T cell subset in many pathological conditions that were previously attributed to Th1 cells. In addition, the role of CD4 + CD25 + T regulatory cells (Treg) in controlling the activity of Th17 and other T cell subsets has increasingly been realized. Thereby, examination of the Th17/Treg balance in the course of autoimmune diseases has significantly advanced our understanding of …