<scp>RAGE</scp>‐ligands axis: A new ‘driving force’ for cigarette smoke‐induced airway inflammation in <scp>COPD</scp>?

<jats:p>Receptor for advanced glycation end products (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RAGE</jats:styled-content>) was recently shown to contribute to cigarette smoke (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>)‐induced airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">COPD</jats:styled-content>). In this study, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RAGE</jats:styled-content> small interfering ribonucleic acid (RNA) transfection attenuated increased messenger <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RNA</jats:styled-content> levels of common <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RAGE</jats:styled-content> ligands <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HMGB</jats:styled-content>1, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>100<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>8, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>100<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>9 and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>100<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>12, but not <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>100<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">B</jats:styled-content> following exposure to <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content> extract. Our findings and those from recent studies suggest a positive feedback involving <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RAGE</jats:styled-content> and its ligands as a new ‘driving force’ for <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CS</jats:styled-content>‐induced airway inflammation in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">COPD</jats:styled-content>.</jats:p>