Oxidative Stress-Induced Autophagy Impairment and Pathogenesis of Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases

Abstract

Chronic lung diseases are one of the foremost ailments in the modern society, and a burgeoning increase in their occurrence is a significant challenge for the medical professionals as well as basic and clinical researchers. Based on the pathophysiology of the disease, chronic lung diseases can be classified into chronic “obstructive” or “restrictive” lung diseases. Irrespective of the lung disease condition, the two most common and interrelated mechanisms that initiate and/or worsen disease pathogenesis and progression are inflammation and oxidative stress. Hence, in this chapter, we first describe the central role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive lung diseases and subsequently focus on the interrelationships of oxidative stress with aging, CFTR dysfunction, and the key homeostatic processes, proteostasis and/or autophagy. Moreover, we also present a perspective on targeting oxidative stress for augmentation of proteostasis and/or autophagy to control the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive lung diseases as well as to promote healthy lung aging.