title: Depletion of Epidermal Langerhans Cells in the Skin Lesions of Pellagra Patients.
abstract: Pellagra is a nutrient deficiency disease caused by insufficient niacin levels. Recent studies have shown that numbers of epidermal Langerhans cells decreased in other diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies, including necrolytic migratory erythema and acrodermatitis enteropathica. Epidermal Langerhans cells are capable of modulating or even halting the inflammatory reaction. The aim of this study was to examine changes in the number of Langerhans cells and other dendritic cells, and maturation of epidermal Langerhans cells in the lesional and adjacent non-lesional skin in pellagra patients. Seven pellagra patients and 10 healthy individuals who served as controls were included. The number and distribution of dendritic cells and other cutaneous cells were examined by immunohistochemistry. Epidermal Langerhans cells decreased considerably in the skin lesions of pellagra patients, whereas other dendritic cells did not change. The decrease in the number of Langerhans cells was positively correlated with the histological severity of skin lesions. As the number of Langerhans cells was not reduced in the undisturbed neighboring skin, the depletion of epidermal Langerhans cells did not precede skin damage but was a cause of prolonged severe inflammation.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Dermatology, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan; †Department of Dermatology, Tone-chuo Hospital, Numata, Japan; ‡Department of Dermatology, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan; §Department of Dermatology, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan; ¶Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan; and ‖Department of Dermatology, Saitama Medical University Saitama Medical Center, Kawagoe, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sogabe
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Utani
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Izaki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uezato
authors.forename: Kenzo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D004817:Epidermis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007564:Japan; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010383:Pellagra / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index