Environmental Exposures and Emerging Mechanisms in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: From Pathogenesis to Precision Therapeutics

Dear Colleagues,

There is increasing evidence that ambient environmental exposures ranging from atmospheric pollution (e.g., particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, tobacco smoke, and occupational pollutants) to climate-driven events play a detrimental role in the onset and progression of COPD. Indeed, long-term exposure to these irritants results in a vicious cycle of chronic lung inflammation and tissue damage. It is also interesting that air pollution has been reported to increase COPD incidence and exacerbations, suggesting that cigarette smoke is no longer the main etiologic factor of disease pathogenesis.

We are organizing a thematic Special Issue on ambient environmental exposures and COPD. In this Special Issue, original studies relevant to this topic are welcome. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Impact of ambient air pollution on COPD onset.
• Smoking versus vaping and COPD pathogenesis.
• Ambient environmental exposures and acute exacerbations of COPD.
• Underlying mechanisms of pollution-mediated lung tissue injury.
• Integrative omics-mediated mechanistic insights on environmental exposure-induced lung injury.
• Cellular signaling pathways of lung responses to environmental exposure.
• Roles of genetics and epigenetics in the pathogenesis of environmental exposure-induced pulmonary injury.

Dr. Abderrazzak Bentaher
Guest Editor

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