Immune Activation in α ₁ -Antitrypsin-Deficiency Emphysema. Beyond the Protease–Antiprotease Paradigm

Abstract

An important adaptive immune inflammation, comprising B, CD4(+), and CD8(+) lymphocytes, and LFs, is a prominent feature in AATD. These results change the paradigm of the mechanism of AATD-induced emphysema from a pure elastase-antielastase imbalance to a much more complex one involving the adaptive immune system, similarly to what occurs in usual COPD.