RAGE-ligands axis: A new 'driving force' for cigarette smoke-induced airway inflammation in COPD?

Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) was recently shown to contribute to cigarette smoke (CS)-induced airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this study, RAGE small interfering ribonucleic acid (RNA) transfection attenuated increased messenger RNA levels of common RAGE ligands HMGB1, S100A8, S100A9 and S100A12, but not S100B following exposure to CS extract. Our findings and those from recent studies suggest a positive feedback involving RAGE and its ligands as a new 'driving force' for CS-induced airway inflammation in COPD.