NQO1 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Given that CS exposure was closely associated with the expression levels of Nqo1-AS1 (or its human homologue) and Nqo1 mRNA in lung tissues of mouse or PBMCs from patients with COPD, we speculated that CSE might have effects on the expression levels of Nqo1-AS1 and Nqo1 in vitro.