Langerhans cell expression in oral submucous fibrosis: An immunohistochemical analysis.

Introduction: Langerhans cells (LCs) are dendritic cells (DCs) of the epithelium which play a role in an array of oral lesions from gingivitis to oral cancer. Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), a potentially malignant disorder (PMD), is an insidious chronic disease with juxta-epithelial inflammatory changes leading to fibrosis. LCs may play a part in the ongoing inflammatory dysregulation of OSMF.

Objective: The study was aimed at elucidating the distribution of LCs in varying grades of OSMF.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study using 18 cases of OSMF, graded using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained section. Immunohistochemistry was performed using polyclonal anti-CD1a antibodies to identify LCs in six cases of normal tissue and 18 samples of OSMF. The distribution of LCs among the various grades and normal mucosa analysed using Student's t-test.

Results: LC population in the OSMF was significantly higher when compared to the normal epithelium (p < 0.001). Within the grades, the advanced stage had more LCs than the other stages.

Conclusion: The increase in LCs might indicate the role of antigenic exposure in turn leading to cell-mediated immunity in OSMF. Thus, the fibrosis in OSMF might have a direct link to LCs.