HISTOCHEMICAL, IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDIES ON THEACTION OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS ON EPIDERMAL LANGERHANS CELLS (ELC) OF MURINE SKIN

We studied the influence of the glucocorticosteroids dexamethasone and prednisolone on epidermal Langerhans cells (ELC) in the ear skin of B ALB/c mice. ELC were detected by HLA II-antigen-expression and ATPase staining. The number of ELC was counted by normal light and immunofluo rescence microscopy. Both, dexamethasone and prednisolone decreased th e number of ELC and the intensity of the reaction for HLA II and ATPas e significantly. In the electron microscope, ELC were identified by th eir light cytoplasm, the lobulated nucleus and typical Birbeck Granula (BG). After systemic application of dexamethasone or prednisolone the ultrastructure was changed with respect to a loss of typical BG and o ccurrence of numerous small vacuoles without electron dense content in stead of BG.