Efectores celulares de la respuesta inflamatoria en la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica

Abstract

Approximately 3 million people in the world die every year as a consequence of COPD, a pathological process with a high impact also in Chile. COPD is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lung to noxious particles and gases. This inflammatory pattern causes histopathological changes that lead to a narrowing of small airways lumen and destruction of lung parenchyma, also known as emphysema. Classically, these changes were associated to macrophages and neutrophils, although T CD8+ lymphocytes were latter added to the equation, in order to explain the origin of emphysematous lesions. However, in recent years, multiple evidences have arisen indicating that inflammatory response in COPD is much more complex. These findings point to a key role for mast cells, dendritic cells, T CD4+ cells and B cells. The aim of this article is to review such evidence and present what is known so far about the protagonist cells of the inflammatory response in COPD.