Barrett A W, Williams D M, Scott J
Department of Oral Biology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
J Oral Pathol Med. 1991 Feb;20(2):49-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.1991.tb00888.x.
Tobacco and alcohol consumption are known predisposing factors to the development of oral cancer, though the mechanism by which they act is unclear. The density of Langerhans cells (LC) has been shown to decrease in the uterine cervix of smokers, possibly indicating reduced immune surveillance and increased risk of malignant change. This study examined biopsies of normal human lateral border of tongue taken from 41 necropsies whose histories of tobacco and alcohol consumption were known. LC were identified in fixed, wax-embedded sections using a monoclonal antibody to HLADR and an immunoperoxidase technique. The mean density of LC in smokers of the equivalent of 11 or more cigarettes daily was significantly higher than moderate and non-smokers when counts were expressed per mm epithelial surface and basement membrane length. There were no significant differences in LC numbers in relation to alcohol consumption, age or sex, but there was a significant interaction between tobacco and alcohol. The results suggest that either human oral LC respond to external toxins, or that physical changes in the epithelial barrier induced by such toxins necessitate the presence of more LC to maintain the integrity of the epithelium.
烟草和酒精消费是已知的口腔癌发病诱因，尽管其作用机制尚不清楚。研究表明，吸烟者子宫颈中的朗格汉斯细胞（LC）密度会降低，这可能表明免疫监视功能减弱，恶变风险增加。本研究检查了取自41例尸检的正常人舌外侧缘活检组织，这些尸检对象的烟草和酒精消费史已知。使用抗HLADR单克隆抗体和免疫过氧化物酶技术在固定的石蜡包埋切片中识别LC。当按每毫米上皮表面和基底膜长度计数时，每天吸烟相当于11支或更多香烟的吸烟者中LC的平均密度显著高于中度吸烟者和不吸烟者。LC数量在酒精消费、年龄或性别方面没有显著差异，但烟草和酒精之间存在显著的相互作用。结果表明，要么人类口腔LC对外毒素有反应，要么此类毒素引起的上皮屏障物理变化需要更多LC的存在以维持上皮的完整性。
