The objective of this project is to determine the pulmonary microbiome and its relationship with the pulmonary and systemic inmune response in COPD patients with frequent (FE) and non frequent exacerbations (NE).
1. The pulmonary immune response.
-The role of mucins, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as lung defense mechanisms and their possible relationship with the microbiome in COPD and FE patients.
2. The systemic immune response. -The pulmonary and blood inflammatory response and circulating bacterial products as markers of the systemic immune response.
