ArticleFrontiers in immunology2023
Transforming growth factor-β1 and SMAD signalling pathway in the small airways of smokers and patients with COPD: potential role in driving fibrotic type-2 epithelial mesenchymal transition.
Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genetic Evidence for Unified Airway Disease: Shared Epithelial and Immune Architecture Across Major Airway Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Mapping the research landscape of TGF-β1 in airway remodeling (1994-2024): A bibliometric analysis.Medicine · 2026Article
- Oxymatrine Inhibits Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition to Alleviate Airway Remodeling in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Suppressing the TGF-β1/Smad Pathway.The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences · 2026Article
- Reimagining AHR in Cancer: From Environmental Sensor to Novel Immunomodulatory Therapeutic Target.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Review
- Electroacupuncture modulates gut-lung microbiota and lung EMT to attenuate airway remodeling in COPD.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Inhaled Targeted Nano-Drug Delivery Systems for COPD: Precision Solutions to Clinical Barriers.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Review
- Efficacy and mechanisms of andrographolide derivative in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a meta-analysis, network pharmacology, molecular docking, andFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Ampicillin-Loaded Fenugreek-Derived Exosomes Treat COPD via Anti-Inflammatory, Antibacterial and Anti-Fibrotic Effects.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Article
- LAMC2 Drives Airway Remodeling in COPD via EMT Regulation Through the AKT Pathway.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2026Article
- Review
- SIRT1 regulates cigarette smoke extract‑induced alveolar macrophage polarization and inflammation by inhibiting the TRAF6/NLRP3 signaling pathway.Molecular medicine reports · 2025Article
- Prognostic Value of Biomarkers in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Comprehensive Review.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2025Review
- Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition is an active process in the large airways of patients with asthma-COPD overlap and partially abrogated by inhaled corticosteroid treatment: a bronchoscopy endobronchial biopsy study.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Phytochemical Compounds as Promising Therapeutics for Intestinal Fibrosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Critical Review.Nutrients · 2024Review
- The Role of Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Cells · 2024Review
- TGF-β1, pSmad-2/3, Smad-7, and β-Catenin Are Augmented in the Pulmonary Arteries from Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF): Role in Driving Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EndMT).Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Endothelial to mesenchymal transition is an active process in smokers and patients with early COPD contributing to pulmonary arterial pathology.ERJ open research · 2024Article
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition changes in nonsmall cell lung cancer patients with early COPD.ERJ open research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: COPD is a common disease characterized by respiratory airflow obstruction. TGF-β1 and SMAD pathway is believed to play a role in COPD pathogenesis by driving epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods: We investigated TGF-β1 signalling and pSmad2/3 and Smad7 activity in resected small airway tissue from patients with; normal lung function and a smoking history (NLFS), current smokers and ex-smokers with COPD GOLD stage 1 and 2 (COPD-CS and COPD-ES) and compared these with normal non-smoking controls (NC). Using immunohistochemistry, we measured activity for these markers in the epithelium, basal epithelium, and reticular basement membrane (RBM). Tissue was also stained for EMT markers E-cadherin, S100A4 and vimentin. Results: The Staining of pSMAD2/3 was significantly increased in the epithelium, and RBM of all COPD groups compared to NC (p <0.0005). There was a less significant increase in COPD-ES basal cell numbers compared to NC (p= 0.02). SMAD7 staining showed a similar pattern (p <0.0001). All COPD group levels of TGF-β1 in the epithelium, basal cells, and RBM cells were significantly lower than NC (p <0.0001). Ratio analysis showed a disproportionate increase in SMAD7 levels compared to pSMAD2/3 in NLFS, COPD-CS and COPD-ES. pSMAD negatively correlated with small airway calibre (FEF Conclusion: Activation of the SMAD pathway via pSMAD2/3 is triggered by smoking and active in patients with mild to moderate COPD. These changes correlated to decline in lung function. Activation of the SMADs in the small airways is independent of TGF-β1, suggesting factors other than TGF-β1 are driving these pathways. These factors may have implications for small airway pathology in smokers and COPD through the process of EMT, however more mechanistic work is needed to prove these correlations.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.