[CD8+ T cells and fibrocytes: dangerous interplay in the distal bronchi of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?].

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by chronic inflammation and bronchial remodeling, resulting in airflow limitation. Several studies indicate a detrimental role of CD8+ T cells in the evolution of the disease, however the mechanisms of CD8+T cell activation in the lungs of COPD patients are still not understood. Fibrocytes, whose density is associated with bronchial remodeling and bronchial obstruction, have immunomodulatory properties. We will describe how interactions between CD8+T cells and fibrocytes may be involved in disease initiation and progression.