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Updated: May 3, 2026

Automated Measurement of Pulmonary Emphysema and Small Airway Remodeling in Cigarette Smoke-exposed Mice
Published on: January 16, 2015
Antielastin autoimmunity in tobacco smoking-induced emphysema
Seung-Hyo Lee1, Sangeeta Goswami, Ariel Grudo
1Department of Medicine, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Abstract:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema are common destructive inflammatory diseases that are leading causes of death worldwide. Here we show that emphysema is an autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of antielastin antibody and T-helper type 1 (T(H)1) responses, which correlate with emphysema severity. These findings link emphysema to adaptive immunity against a specific lung antigen and suggest the potential for autoimmune pathology of other elastin-rich tissues such as the arteries and skin of smokers.
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