However, while promoting the anti-inflammatory effects of nAChR by targeting them pharmaceutically might be beneficial in airway diseases with excessive inflammation in the stage before bacterial infection, such as acute lung injury, COPD, asthma, and even cystic fibrosis, targeting nAChR in infectious diseases where cytokine production and the production of antimicrobial peptides is crucial might be disadvantageous. This evidence concerns the gene CHRNA4 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.