Cigarette smoke extract enhances neutrophil elastase-induced IL-8 production via proteinase-activated receptor-2 upregulation in human bronchial epithelial cells

Abstract

Lung disease: How cigarette smoking enhances lung inflammation A study of the effect of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on lung lining cells clarifies the interaction between CSE and an enzyme implicated in causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The enzyme elastase is released by neutrophils and is known to induce inflammation, which causes lung irritation in COPD. Chul-Gyu Yoo and colleagues at Seoul National University in South Korea exposed cultured human lung cells to CSE. This exposure activated specific molecular signaling processes by which the elastase enzyme-induced inflammation was enhanced. Of particular note was an increase in the levels of a cell surface receptor protein in CSE-treated cells. This protein was increased in lungs of smokers and COPD patients. The research helps to understand the role of cigarette smoking in the pathogenesis of COPD.