title: Autoimmunity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: clinical and experimental evidence.
abstract: Over the past few decades, neutrophils and macrophages had co-occupied center stage as the critical innate immune cells underlying the pathobiology of cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung parenchymal destruction (i.e., emphysema). While chronic exposure to smoke facilitates the recruitment of innate immune cells into the lung, a clear role for adaptive immunity in emphysema has emerged. Evidence from human studies specifically point to a role for recruitment and activation of pathogenic lymphocytes and lung antigen-presenting cells in emphysema; similarly, animal models have confirmed a significant role for autoimumnity in progressive smoke-induced emphysema. Increased numbers of activated antigen-presenting cells, Th1 and Th17 cells, have been associated with smoke-induced lung inflammation and production of the canonical cytokines of these cells, IFN-γ and IL-17, correlates with disease severity. These exciting new breakthroughs could open new avenues for developing effective new therapies for smoke-induced emphysema.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Sections of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. farrahk@bcm.edu
authors.forename: Farrah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kheradmand
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Corry
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D020381:Interleukin-17; D007371:Interferon-gamma