MECHANISM OF CIGARETTE SMOKE - INDUCED CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD)

What is it about?

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide. COPD causes great burden to society by contributing in morbidity and productivity loss. Cigarette smoking is the primary reason for COPD in smokers. In spite of the several initiatives of the national and international public health organizations for quitting smoking, number of smokers are increasing in low- and middle-income countries continuously. For the prevention and morbidity management of this treatable disease, understanding of the pathogenic events orchestrated by cigarette smoke (CS) is required. In smokers, COPD is caused by the constant exposure of lung to harmful components of CS. Oxidative stress plays the central role in CS-induced COPD pathogenesis in smokers along with other important components of COPD pathogenesis, such as lung injury, lung inflammation, protease-antiprotease imbalance, small airway remodeling and apoptosis. In this review we tried to briefly summarize the mechanisms behind the CS-induced pathogenesis for COPD which follow a complex network of events.

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Why is it important?

Prevention of cigarette smoke induced COPD is dependent on developing newer and effective drug against these diseases. One must first understand the pathogenic events caused by smoking at molecular level to achieve the goal of preventing COPD. This understanding will also help to answer the pertinent question that which specific chemical compound(s) amidst the complex mixture of cigarette CS is actually responsible for triggering the initiation of molecular reactions leading to COPD. In this review we tried to summarize the mechanisms behind the cigarette smoke-induced pathogenesis for COPD which follow a complex network of events.

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