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Gingival organotypic culture and langerhans cells: A tool for immunotoxicologic experiments
Author(s) -
Lamarque Stéphane,
PellenMussi Pascal,
Rougier Nathalie,
Le Lan Jacky,
Chesne Christophe,
BonnaureMallet Martine
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.20026
Subject(s) - langerin , langerhans cell , confocal microscopy , epidermis (zoology) , epithelium , confocal , immune system , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology , immunology , biology , dendritic cell , medicine , anatomy , geometry , mathematics
Langerhans cells (LCs) are dendritic cells localized in epidermis and mucosal tissues, where they are responsible for triggering the immune response. To study LCs in the oral epithelium, organotypic cultures were prepared using gingival explants. Immunochemical techniques using anti‐CD1a, anti‐HLA‐DR, and anti‐Langerin antibodies were used to detect and quantify LCs at various times. Observations were made by light and confocal microscopy. Quantification studies showed that there is a statistically significant drop in LC numbers in the epithelial tissue after 96 h of incubation. Gingival organotypic cultures thus are a good model for studying the migration of LCs and their involvement in contact hypersensitivity and periodontal diseases. The model offers potential utility as a tool for the study of periodontal tissue in the presence of different stimuli and for conducting immunotoxicologic experiments. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 68A: 257–263, 2004