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Lymphocytes and Langerhans cells in patch tests
Author(s) -
Kanerva Lasse,
Ranki Annamari,
Lauharanta Jorma
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
contact dermatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0536
pISSN - 0105-1873
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0536.1984.tb00961.x
Subject(s) - allergic contact dermatitis , cytotoxic t cell , epidermis (zoology) , immunology , immunoperoxidase , langerhans cell , chemistry , contact dermatitis , allergen , dithranol , pathology , monoclonal antibody , medicine , psoriasis , antibody , antigen , allergy , in vitro , biochemistry , anatomy
The distribution of immunocompetent cells was analysed in allergic (nickel) and irritant (dithranol) patch tests using conventional transmission electron microscopy and labelling with monoclonal antibodies in an avidin‐biotin immunoperoxidase study. The biopsies were taken 24 or 48 h after the allergen/irritant application. In allergic and irritant reactions, most inflammatory cells were OKT11 positive (pan T lymphocytes). The majority of these cells were also OKT4 positive (pan T lymphocytes), while the minority were OKT8 positive (suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes). NK9 positive cells (natural killer cells) were observed in small numbers. The number of dendritic OKT6 and OKIaI positive cells (Langerhans cells) in the epidermis was unaffected in allergic reactions. In irritant reactions, a normal number of OKT6 positive Langerhans cells was observed, while the number of OKIaI positive cells had increased in the epidermis. Dithranol caused prominent fine structural changes in the mitochondria of the Langerhans cells, while the keratinocytes appeared largely unaffected. The present study indicates that allergic and irritant patch tests cannot be differentiated reliably using current immunohistopathological or electron microscopic techniques, in spite of the small differences observed.