Internal Medicine: Open Access
Open Access

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Hitori Kawashi^{* *}Correspondence: Hitori Kawashi, Department of Periodontology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan, Email:

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Description

A key factor in the development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is airway inflammation, which is fueled by many inflammatory cell and mediator types. Important participants in this process include neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, and CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, albeit the degree of each cell type's involvement varies depending on the patient's endotype. Anti-inflammatory drugs may alter the course and natural history of COPD.

However, novel pharmacological anti-inflammatory strategies are needed because COPD-related airway inflammation is comparatively resistant to corticosteroid treatment. The creation of particular pharmacologic treatments is necessary due to the heterogeneity of inflammatory cells and mediators in the various endo-phenotypes of COPD. In fact, throughout the previous 20 years, a number of mechanisms have been discovered that affect the number and/or activity of inflammatory cells in the lung parenchyma and airways. Only a small number of these compounds have been investigated in human subjects, but many have been evaluated in vivo in lab animals and in vitro models. While preliminary research has yielded unsatisfactory results, valuable data has surfaced indicating that additional testing of certain drugs in particular patient subgroups may be necessary. This could ultimately result in a more customized approach to COPD treatment. The lungs' heightened or aberrant inflammatory immunological response to inhaled particles and gases mostly from cigarette smoke is known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is characterized by an increase in neutrophils, activated macrophages, and activated Tlymphocytes (Tc1 and Th1 cells). For this reason, it makes sense to treat COPD by suppressing the inflammatory response. Even though COPD is an inflammatory disease, the anti-inflammatory medications that are currently on the market offer little to no benefit to COPD patients and may even have negative side effects. Therefore, it is imperative to find safe and effective antiinflammatory medications that could stop the condition from continuing to worsen. A worldwide health problem, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) affects people of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and nationalities. COPD is a diverse lung disease that is characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms (such as coughing, dyspnea, and sputum production) brought on by abnormalities of the alveoli (emphysema) and/or airways (bronchitis and bronchiolitis), which result in a persistent restriction of airflow that frequently worsens over time. Significantly, persistent inflammation is a sign of COPD. Based on the available data, inflammation plays a major role in the development of COPD and is mostly caused by neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes, and other inflammatory cells infiltrating the small airways. Chronic inflammation leads to irreversible structural alterations in the lung tissue, including inadequate remodeling of the airways and excessive secretion of mucus in the airways.

Traditional Chinese medicine, which includes acupuncture, has been significant in non-pharmacological therapies for COPD. Acupuncture has been the subject of numerous Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) assessing its safety in the treatment of COPD. The findings indicate that acupuncture is a safe adjuvant therapy that effectively enhances COPD rehabilitation. Myelo Per Oxidase (MPO), which is generated by active neutrophils, is correlated with the elevated amount of IL-8 seen in the sputum samples of COPD patients. Muscle dysfunction is a common symptom of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and appears to be partially attributed to systemic inflammation. Both the production and breakdown of muscle proteins may be impacted by this systemic inflammation. It also appears to lower the amount of growth-stimulating chemicals and cause excessive oxidative stress. The primary inquiry in this review is if exercise (training) can have the same anti-inflammatory effects in COPD patients as it can in healthy individuals. An imbalance between the production and breakdown of muscle proteins appears to be the cause of muscle dysfunction brought on by the elevated levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines in COPD patients. It was suggested that while exercise appeared to improve the protein balance, lower levels of inflammatory cytokines may be the reason for this. Long-term exercise training actually appears to lower the levels of inflammatory cytokines in healthy participants and Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) patients, despite the fact that most persons have an inflammatory response during an acute exercise session.