Abstract: Objective To observe the morphology, quantity and migration of Langerhans cells in normal or HPV-infected skin treated with localized hyperthermia. Methods Tissue specimens obtained from 16 patients with condyloma accuminatum （CA） and 15 normal controls were divided into three equal parts, and irradiated by a self-made hyperthermia equipment at 37 ℃, 42 ℃ and 45 ℃ respectively for 30 minutes. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry were applied to detect the morphology, quantity and migration of Langerhans cells （LCs）, respectively, in these treated specimens. Results With a rise in temperature, the number of LCs in epidermis decreased, the dendrites shortened, decreased in number or even disappeared. After exposure to hyperthermia at 37 ℃, 42 ℃ and 45 ℃, the number of LCs was 782.40 ± 114.8, 649.44 ± 119.40 and 510.88 ± 118.64 per square millimeter respectively, in normal tissue, 646.04 ± 135.67, 489.38 ± 118.19 and 387.93 ± 110.15 per square millimeter respectively in HPV-infected skin tissue. The percentage of migratory LCs expressing CD1a was 0.19% ± 0.18%, 0.89% ± 0.19% and 1.59% ± 0.28% in normal skin tissue treated with hyperthermia at 37 ℃, 42 ℃ and 45 ℃ respectively, 0.62% ± 0.31%, 2.31% ± 0.54% and 6.33% ± 0.98%, respectively, in HPV-infected skin tissue; the differences were significant among these different temperatures. Furthermore, the migration of LCs from tissue into culture was enhanced by the treatment with hyperthermia. Conclusions Hyperthermia can promote the migration of LCs, and accordingly enhance the antigen presenting effect of these cells in immune response.

Key words: Hyperthermia;Human papilloma virus;Langerhans cell;Hyperthermia, Human papilloma virus, Langerhans cell