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Reduced number of Langerhans cells in oral mucosal washings from HIV‐1 seropositives
Author(s) -
Spörri Bernhard,
Overbeck Jan,
Brand Christoph U.,
Schmidli Jurg,
Sanchez Martha L.,
Grunow Ronald,
Braathen Lasse R.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0714.1994.tb00084.x
Subject(s) - medicine , oral mucosa , antigen , monoclonal antibody , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , immunology , antibody , hiv antigens , human leukocyte antigen , immunopathology , monoclonal , viral disease , pathology
In order to elucidate mucosal immunity in HIV‐1 seropositive individuals, we investigated oral mucosa washings from 20 HIV‐1 seropositive patients for the presence of Langerhans cells (LC) and HIV‐1 antigen‐positive cells, and compared the results with those obtained from 20 HIV‐l seronegative healthy individuals. Monoclonal antibodies directed against CDla, HLA‐DR, CD3, and p24 were used to identify LC, T cells and HIV‐l core‐antigens, respectively. In oral mucosa washings from HIV‐l seropositive patients there was a significant reduction in the number of CDla + cells as compared with the healthy subjects. HIV‐1 antigen‐positive cells were not detected. The reduction of LC in oral mucosa washings from HIV‐l seropositive patients is probably associated with HIV‐l infection. The frequent occurrence of oral mucosal disorders in HIV‐l infected patients may in part be caused by a reduced LC‐number and/or function.