Restoring Glucocorticoid Function May Reduce Inflammation Associated with COPD

Restoring glucocorticoid function, in combination with other therapies, may reduce inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That is according to a recent study out of London that examined the role that glucocorticoids play in controlling inflammation in diseases such as asthma and COPD.

Characterized by an abnormal and chronic inflammatory response in the lungs, COPD causes chronic airflow obstruction of the small airways and the inexorable decline of lung function. While controlling inflammation remains a key strategy for treating the disease, current anti-inflammatory treatments have not proven effective.

Proven to effectively control inflammation in diseases such as asthma, glucocorticoids(GCs) have not demonstrated the same level of effectiveness in COPD. That is because the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the GC-insensitive inflammation in the lungs of patients with COPD remain unclear.

However, recent studies have indicated novel mechanism and possible therapeutic strategies that may restore GC function in patients with COPD. One of the major mechanisms proposed is an oxidant-mediated alteration in the signaling pathways in the inflammatory cells in the lung, which may result in the impairment of repressor proteins used by the GC receptor to inhibit the transcription of proinflammatory genes.

However, given the relative GC-insensitive nature of the inflammation in COPD, a combination of therapies, including effective alternative anti-inflammatory targets, antioxidants and proresolving therapeutic strategies, in addition to a restoration of GC function, is likely to provide better targeting and improvement in the management of the disease.

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