title: Do Langerhans cells behave similarly in elderly and younger patients with chronic periodontitis?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the number, the distribution and the expression of markers of maturation of Langerhans cells (LC) in elderly and younger patients with chronic periodontitis in order to evidence the effect of aging on LC in inflammatory gingival tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gingival tissue specimens presenting chronic periodontitis from 8 elderly patients aged >75 (group E) and from 8 younger patients aged 50-60 (considered as controls, group C) were used for immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against CD45RB (leucocytes), CD1a (LC), markers of LC maturation (DC-LAMP, CD83) and number of immunolabelled cell subsets was evaluated using image analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The difference in the number of CD45RB+ leucocytes in the upper connective tissue between groups was not significant. In group E, the number of CD1a+ LC was significantly decreased (P<0.002) in the epithelium and significantly increased (P<0.0004) in the upper connective tissue. Furthermore, in group E, intraepithelial CD1a+ LC are more often observed in the upper epithelium and their dendritic processes were shorter and less numerous. Concerning the expression of markers of maturation, the numbers of intraepithelial DC-LAMP+ cells and CD83+ cells were significantly increased (P<0.0007 and P<0.02, respectively) in group E.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During chronic periodontitis in elderly patients, the decrease in the number of intraepithelial LC and the alteration of dendritic processes could be balanced by a cellular distribution often observed in the upper epithelium associated with changes in cell maturation in response to bacterial elements.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire sur la Réparation et les Remodelages Oro-Faciaux (EA2496), Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université René Descartes - Paris 5, 1 rue Maurice Arnoux, 92120 Montrouge, France.
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bodineau
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coulomb
authors.forename: Marysette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Folliguet
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Igondjo-Tchen
authors.forename: Gaston
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Godeau
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brousse
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Séguier
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000473:pathology*