CXCL8 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Along these lines, C-reactive protein (CRP) in blood has been used to assess systemic inflammation in COPD [6], while several cytokines involved in neutrophil mobilization (e.g. IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17) have been used as local biomarkers of disease severity and risk for CVD in COPD patients [7–11].