Tiantao Du,1,* Jianye Cao,1,* Ziyao Dai,1 Xianting Xie,1 Guoshu Zhang,1 Yulin Li,1 Baiyu Chen,1 Tao Xu,2 Jia Feng3 

1Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Sichuan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases, Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Luzhou, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Tao Xu, Email xutao016066@163.com Jia Feng, Email fj67875@swmu.edu.cn

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex lung condition primarily affecting the airways and alveoli, characterized by persistent progressive airflow limitation. COPD ranks as the third leading cause of death worldwide, with its incidence and mortality rates escalating annually due to an aging population. This study aimed to explore the association between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and COPD, as well as the impact of statin drugs on the progression of COPD.
Methods: Employing an integrated approach that encompasses observational studies, genetic epidemiology, and molecular biology, this research investigated the link between LDL-C and COPD using clinical survey data, genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, and transcriptomic data. Additionally, it assessed the potential role of statin drugs in the treatment of COPD.
Results: The study discovered that LDL-C serves as a protective factor for COPD, and statin drugs may promote the progression of COPD by reducing LDL-C levels. This finding provides a new perspective on the metabolic disruptions in COPD and offers significant guidance for future therapeutic strategies.
Conclusion: This research confirms the inverse correlation between LDL-C and COPD and reveals that statin drugs might influence the progression of COPD by affecting LDL-C levels. These findings underscore the importance of considering metabolic factors in COPD management and suggest new directions for therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: COPD, LDL-C, statins, NHANES, Mendelian Randomization, multicohomology