Increase in epidermal Langerhans cells in mouse skin following treatment with TCDD

TCDD was found to induce a 2 to 3 fold increase in the density of Langerhans cells in the epidermis of hairless HRS/J mice, but to not significantly affect the density of these cells in epidermis of congenic haired mice. This suggests that increased density of Langerhans cells in the hairless animals is a secondary response to the TCDD induced epidermal changes, which include squamous metaplasia, characteristically seen in these animals.