Tejal Somvanshi
New research has uncovered why smokers get sick more often and have trouble fighting off lung infections. The study shows how cigarette smoke, including from e-cigarettes, breaks down the lung’s natural defense system.
Think of your lungs like a house with security guards – special immune cells called MAIT cells. These guards normally spot and stop harmful bacteria and viruses from making you sick. But cigarette smoke acts like a blindfold on these guards, making them less able to spot threats.
“We discovered that chemicals in cigarette smoke affect these guard cells, weakening their ability to fight infections,” says Dr. Wael Awad from Monash University, who led the study.
The smoke does this by interfering with a protein called MR1. This protein usually helps the guard cells identify threats. But when smoke chemicals stick to it, it’s like jamming their radio communication – they can’t respond properly to invaders.
This explains why smokers often catch more colds and take longer to recover. It also reveals why people living with smokers face similar risks – the smoke in the air and on surfaces (called second-hand and third-hand smoke) causes the same damage to their lung defenses.
Professor Jamie Rossjohn explains what happens over time: “When lungs face constant exposure to smoke, their defense system gets weaker. This makes fighting off even common illnesses like the flu much harder.”
The research also found something surprising. The same chemicals that harm lung defenses in cigarettes are also used as flavoring in e-cigarettes. This raises new concerns about vaping’s long-term effects on lung health.
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These findings help explain why smoking leads to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), a serious lung condition that makes breathing difficult. COPD ranks as the third leading cause of death worldwide. When smoke keeps blocking the lung’s defense system, it leads to ongoing inflammation and damage.
The research team made another unexpected discovery. In their lab studies, mice without these guard cells actually showed less lung damage from smoke. This finding opens new possibilities for treating smoking-related lung diseases.
What does this mean for health? Every cigarette or exposure to smoke chips away at your lung’s protection system. Like leaving your house with broken locks, it makes you more vulnerable to illness. Even occasional exposure to smoke can have lasting effects on how well your lungs fight off infections.
Professor Philip Hansbro from the Centenary Institute says their team is now working to understand exactly how smoke affects these guard cells. This knowledge could lead to better treatments for smoking-related lung diseases.
The study combines work from several Australian research centers, including the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. Their findings appear in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, marking an important step forward in understanding how smoking harms lung health.
This research offers clear evidence of smoking’s dangers while providing hope for new treatments. It shows why protecting your lungs from smoke exposure – whether from cigarettes or e-cigarettes – remains crucial for maintaining strong lung defenses against illness.
