Differential function of IL-17A in cigarette smoke induced lung damage

Smoking is the main risk factor for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A recent study demonstrated by quantitative microcomputed tomography (µCT) that IL-17A-deficient mice exposed to cigarette smoke are protected from increases in lung volume and decreased lung density. This suggests that Th-17/IL-17-dependent immune mechanisms mediate smoke-induced lung damage, such as the development of emphysema. Here, we demonstrate a more complex role of IL-17A in the development of lung damage in mice chronically exposed to smoke. Physiologically relevant pulmonary function showed that IL-17A deficient mice…