To further investigate the specific mechanism through which miR-23a-5p/RAGE contributes to the pathogenesis of COPD, we transfected 16-HBE cells with miR-23a-5p mimics or RAGE siRNA, then stimulated the cells with CSE in vitro to collect total RNA for bulk RNAseq analysis (Fig. 5A). Here, AGER is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.