A new cytokine target for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
EBioMedicine. 2021 Jul 9;69:103479. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103479. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34252695.
| Authors/Editors: | Bernhagen J. |
|---|---|
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an airway disease that is associated with obstructive airway wall remodelling and emphysematous tissue damage. Chronic inflammation and defective epithelial repair are causes of the disease. With cigarette smoking being the major risk factor for COPD, it is a leading cause of hospital admissions and death worldwide. There is an unmet therapeutic need for COPD, since there are no effective disease-modifying treatments. Inflammatory cytokines are drivers of chronic airway inflammation, but anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies (e.g. against TNF-a, IL-8, CCL2, or IL-1b), have shown little or no effect on COPD. Since the destruction of small airways is a major contributor to peripheral airway resistance in COPD, lung regeneration by repairaugmenting cytokines may be a promising alternative therapeutic approach.
