STUDY OF LANGERHANS CELLS AFTER ALLOGENEIC BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

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  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 63  (4) , 807-811
Abstract
The number of Langerhans cells (LC) before and after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was assessed in 27 patients in order to study the fate and behavior of these dendritic antigen-presenting cells following allogeneic BMT. LC were identified using monoclonal antibody OKT6 on skin biopsies performed on days 10, 0, 11, 25, 39, 120 and 365. In a control group composed of 15 healthy adults aged 20-37 yr, the mean number of LC (.+-. SEM [standard error of the mean]) was 25.6 .+-. 1.17/0.1 mm2 of epidermal surface. Pretransplant, the number of LC in patients with aplastic anemia or leukemia was lower than that of controls. The finding of low numbers of LC in patients with untreated aplastic anemia is suggestive of a medullary origin of LC in man. During the early posttransplant period, nearly all patients present a severe deficit in LC. This deficit may delay the maturation of their immune system. The number of LC reaches nearly normal levels 4-12 mo. after BMT. A significant impairment of LC reconstitution was noted in patients with acute graft vs. host disease (GVHD), providing evidence that this defect may be an important mechanism involved in acute GVHD-related immunodeficiency.