Reproductive System & Sexual Disorders: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

Langerhans Cells Ascertaining in Cervical Tissues Obtained from Women with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Daniele de Souza Camargos, Alexandre Tafuri, Paula Ávila Fernandes, Marcelo Vidigal Caliari, Walderez Ornelas Dutra and Annamaria Ravara Vago

Objectives: Impairment of cell-mediated immunity in cervical cancer (CC) and intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) has been reported. In this study, Langerhans cells (LC) subpopulations were quantitatively evaluated in cervical tissuesamples obtained from Brazilian patients exhibiting progressive grades of CIN, (CIN)I (n=3), CINII (n=3) and CINIII (n=3), in addition to three normal controls.

Methods: The precise number of cervical LC was determined in the entire area of lesioned epithelium from CIN samples, by performing a morphometric analysis of Langerhans cells positive for two distinct markers, S100 and Langerin (Lang) detected either by Immunofluorescence or Immunohistochemistry analysis.

Results: In normal cervix, a higher density of Langerin+ cells was observed whereas S100+ LC were predominant in pre-neoplastic lesions samples. Increased numbers of intraepithelial S100+ and Lang+ cells were observed in CIN samples, with an important predominance of Langerhans cell in CINII samples, despite the LC marker or the histological technique employed for the analysis. Curiously, a severe decrease in S100+, but particularly in Lang+ Langerhans cells was observed in cervical tissues exhibiting CINIII.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that the morphometric evaluation of Langerhans cells number is an effective approach to determine LC number in cervical tissues, and that those immune-cells are possibly involved in the surveillance against the cervical lesion development.