Glucocorticoid regulation of interleukin 8 expression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory lung condition and a major cause of deaths worldwide. Since it is an inflammatory disease antiinflamatory medication such as steroids should be effective. However steroids usually fail to improve the COPD disease course significantly. This clinically observed resistance to steroid treatment is likely to be important for understanding the basis of the disease itself, and also for the clinical management of patients.We are, therefore, currently investigating steroid action in COPD. We are doing this by comparing inflammatory lung cells between COPD patients and healthy volunteers. Interleukin 8 is a critical signal for recruitment of inflammatory cells to the lung, and is expressed at high level in COPD. Interleukin 8 is typically inhibited by glucocorticoids; but this effect is lost in COPD, contributing to their lack of beneficial effect. We will discover why interleukin 8, in COPD, acquires resistance to glucocorticoid inhibition. This will indicate new approaches to COPD treatment.