Expression and regulation of the macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha gene by nicotine in rat alveolar macrophages.

INTRODUCTION Cigarette smoking is the most clearly recognized factor leading to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1-3]. Several studies suggest that lung injury in smokers is due to the effect of prolonged low-grade inflammation, and especially to the imbalance between proteases and antiproteases or oxidants and antioxidants in the lung [4, 5]. In bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) studies, increased numbers of [...]