Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Faculty Research Advisor:

Dr. David Blake

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is

the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and affects more than 210 million people. Your lung structure breaks down making it difficult to breathe. There are two clinical manifestations of COPD:Chronic bronchitis, defined by a long-term cough with

mucus Emphysema, defined by destruction of the lungs over

timeMost people with COPD have a combination of both

conditions.

Pathology of COPD in the lungIn emphysema, the walls between many of

the air sacs (alveoli) are damaged, causing them to lose their shape leading to fewer and larger air spaces. If this happens, the amount of gas exchange in the lungs is reduced. Inflammation due to cigarette smoke drives the tissue breakdown

TreatmentThere is no cure for COPD. Patients with COPD must stop smoking to stop the

disease. This is the only way to slow down lung damage.

Medications used to treat COPD include:Inhalers (bronchodilators) to open the airways,

such as ipratropium (Atrovent), tiotropium (Spiriva), salmeterol (Serevent), or formoterol (Foradil)

Inhaled steroids to reduce lung inflammationAntibiotics are prescribed during symptom flare

ups, because infections can make COPD worse

Sulforaphane a possible therapy to slow COPD progression

Sulforaphane is found in broccoli and may reduce lung damage in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

SulforaphaneSulforaphane restores antioxidant gene expressionSulforaphane has anti-inflammatory properties

Sulforaphane increases the activity of enzymes, which protects cells from damage caused by toxins (CS). Enhancing antioxidant levels may reduce the effects of inflammation in COPD