Changes of Langerhans cells during skin ageing

Introduction: During the process of skin ageing, changes occur in all skin layers and all cells, including the Langerhans cells.

Aim: To assess whether any quantitative difference in the number of CD1a⁺ LC cells/mm² and HLA-DR⁺ LC cells/mm² as well as in their morphological features can be observed during the course of different types of skin ageing.

Material and methods: The study was conducted in a group of 60 women, which was divided into three independent groups: group I with symptoms of menopausal skin ageing, group II with symptoms of photoageing, group III with symptoms of chronological ageing. Skin biopsy samples were taken from the pre-auricular region from all of the participants. The number of CD1a⁺ LC cells/mm² and HLA-DR⁺ LC cells/mm² as well as their morphological features were evaluated.

Results: The frequency of CD1a⁺ LC and HLA-DR⁺ LC in all the studied groups was diverse. In groups I and III, the LC with large cell bodies and long, multi-branched processes were the majority. In group II, the LC had small cell bodies and their processes were mainly short and unbranched.

Conclusions: The obtained results indicate the presence of quantitative and morphological changes of the CD1a⁺ LC and HLA-DR⁺ LC during the course of different types of skin ageing.