DISTRIBUTION OF CD1A-POSITIVE CELLS IN PSORIATIC SKIN DURING THE EVOLUTION OF THE LESIONS

  • 1 January 1989
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 69  (2) , 175-178
Abstract
Normal skin and psoriatic lesions from 35 patients were investigated immunohistochemically with regard to the CD1a+ cell population (Langerhans'' cells and indeterminate cells) in the epidermis as well as in the dermal infiltrate. In the normal-appearing skin, we found the regularly typical pattern of CD1a+ dendritic cells in suprabasal position, but in lesional skin of chronic psoriasis the CD1a+ cells were scattered in the acanthotic epidermis. In initial lesions, CD1a+ cells represent up to 50-60% of the infiltrating cells of the dermal compartment, in several cases being preferentially localized in the upper part of the papillar dermis close up to the epidermal CD1a+ cells in basal position, whereas in chronic psoriasis they represent less than 10%. These results suggest that in psoriasis vulgaris, CD1a+ cells actively migrate between the epidermis and the dermal vessels.