CXCL8 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: We have previously shown that EVs derived from mononuclear cells exposed to different stimuli upregulate the synthesis of interleukin (IL)-8, a key regulator of inflammation in COPD [9], in pulmonary epithelial cells [10] through the activation of the nuclear transcription factor, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) [11].