Susceptibility and cellular responses of COPD airway epithelium to cigarette smoke in stem cell-derived ALI models

High-tar conventional cigarette smoke drives stronger inflammatory, oxidative, and lineage-specific remodeling than low-tar slim smoke in patient-derived COPD airway epithelium ALI cultures.

• Why it matters: Clarifying how different cigarette types affect COPD airway cells is important because many patients keep smoking with low-yield products, assuming reduced risk.
• What they did: Patient-derived COPD airway epithelial stem cells were differentiated in an ALI model and exposed to high-tar conventional smoke (TC), low-tar slim smoke (SC), or filtered air (NC), then profiled by single-cell RNA sequencing.
• The result: TC induced more extensive ciliated-cell network reprogramming and stronger basal-cell developmental regression (about 1.7-fold vs SC) and secretory-cell identity erosion with greater antimicrobial downregulation and keratinization shifts.

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