Contribution of adaptive immunity to human COPD and experimental models of emphysema.

ABSTRACT: The pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the undisputed role of innate immune cells in this condition have dominated the field in the basic research arena for many years. Recently, however, compelling data suggesting that adaptive immune cells may also contribute to the progressive nature of lung destruction associated with COPD in smokers have gained considerable attention. The histopathological changes in the lungs of smokers can be limited to the large or small airways, but alveolar loss leading to emphysema, which occurs in some individuals, remains its most significant and irreversible outcome. Critically, however, the question of why emphysema progresses in a subset of former smokers remained a mystery for many years. The recognition of activated and or

SUBMITTER: Kheradmand F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9886356 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature