Age-dependent loss of induced regulatory T cell function exacerbates liver ischemia-reperfusion injury.

•This work represents our original findings demonstrating that iTregs isolated from Young-mice exhibited stronger immunosuppressive ability in vitro and had a greater response during IRI in vivo. Our results showed that Young-mice were less susceptible to IRI as a result of having iTregs with stronger immune suppressive ability in vitro and in vivo.•Adoptive transfer of iTregs ameliorated liver IRI and promoted liver recovery with decreased levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-17 (IL-17).•Our findings suggest that the exacerbated IRI observed in aged-mice is a result of decreased iTreg function while Young-mice have an increased tolerance to IRI resulting from iTreg protection in the liver following injury.•Improving iTreg function is important for disease treatment in elder patients.This mechanism of how age affects function and induction of iTregs may be beneficial in utilizing iTreg-related immune therapy.