Activating the body’s own immune system plays an important role in COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Erik-Jan Oudijk has shown that monocytes and neutrophil granulocytes – two kinds of white blood cells – are activated by the monocyte marker expression on the outside of cells as well as by changes in inflammatory gene expression in the neutrophil granulocytes. The activation of inflammatory cells was measured in the blood of patients with COPD, “healthy” smokers, former smokers and healthy control subjects.
Inflammatory gene expression increased in the neutrophil granulocytes in the blood of patients with COPD. The degree of gene expression in the neutrophils was in direct proportion to the severity of the COPD. In other words, the more severe the COPD, the more inflammatory genes will be found in the neutrophil. It is interesting to note that monocyte activation in fact decreases when the severity of COPD increases. So, as the illness progresses from “healthy smoker” to a patient with severe COPD, the monocyte activation continues to decrease while the neutrophil activation actually increases.
Erik-Jan Oudijk
Activation of the systemic innate immune response in COPD
PhD advisor 1: Prof. L. Koenderman
PhD advisor 2: Prof. J.W.J. Lammers