Role and mechanism of extracellular vesicles in smoking-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review on research progress

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex, heterogeneous respiratory disease that is characterized by functional and structural alterations mainly caused by long - term inhalation of harmful particles. Cigarette smoke (CS) is a major risk factor for COPD. Inflammation, cellular stress, and tissue damage caused by cigarette smoke play key roles in COPD progression. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are functional nanoscale membrane - bound vesicles. Recently, EVs have attracted more and more attention due to their roles in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. However, the research on the roles and mechanism of EVs in smoking - induced COPD is still in its infancy. In this paper, we provided an overview of national and international research on the roles and mechanisms of EVs in the pathogenesis of CS - induced COPD.