COPD: Immunopathogenesis and Immunological Markers
JieHao Joshua Sng
Inflammation and Infection Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia and Department of Respiratory Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
Paul S. Thomas *
Inflammation and Infection Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia and Department of Respiratory Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease of the lungs characterised by progressive and irreversible airflow limitation associated with chronic inflammation. Despite extensive research, the immunopathogenesis of COPD is still not fully elucidated. In this review, we outline the current understanding of the pathophysiology of COPD with a particular focus on chronic inflammation and the role of inflammatory cells such as neutrophils and macrophages in the disease, describe the exhaled breath condensate, a novel method of detecting inflammatory biomarkers, and suggest novel biomarkers to better characterise the immunopathogenesis of COPD.
Keywords: COPD, biomarkers, exhaled breath condensate, microRNA