Fig. 7From: Human epididymis protein 4 aggravates airway inflammation and remodeling in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseThe diagram of mechanism underlying HE4 regulation in COPD. Cigarette smoke promotes HE4 expression and secretion in bronchial epithelial cells partly through oxidative stress, and then mediated IL-6 production via the phosphorylation of NFκB-p65 to participate in airway inflammation. The elevated HE4 release from bronchial epithelial cells facilitates fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation and fibroblastic proliferation to aggravate airway remodeling. HE4, human epididymis protein 4; ROS, reactive oxygen species; IL-6, interleukin-6; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseBack to article page