CXCL8 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: IL-8, the C-X-C chemokine, is a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils [4] that has been implicated in a number of inflammatory diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF) [5], adult respiratory distress syndrome [6], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma [7].