Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global health challenge characterized by persistent airflow limitation. Persistent chronic inflammation serves as the primary driver of its pathogenesis, leading to key structural and functional impairments, including airway remodeling, emphysema, and skeletal muscle dysfunction. Histone deacetylases (HDACs), a class of enzymes crucial for epigenetic regulation, play a pivotal role in the progression of COPD. This review provides a systematic overview of the structural and functional characteristics of HDACs and explores their involvement in the multifaceted pathology of the disease. Given their potential as therapeutic targets, a comprehensive understanding of HDAC-mediated mechanisms may provide a rationale for developing novel HDAC inhibitors and advancing treatment strategies for COPD.
Tang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.