Langerhans细胞(LCs)是1868年Paul Langerhans用氯化金染色在表皮内发现的一种树状突细胞。氯化金对神经细胞具有亲和性,所以当时一直认为它是一种神经原性细胞,来源于神经嵴,而对其功能尚缺乏充分了解。本世纪50～60年代,许多作者认为LCs是色素形成细胞。皮肤黑素在细胞内合成并经树枝状胞突输送到表皮内。 Langerhans cells (LCs) are dendritic cells found in the epidermis by Paul Langerhans in 1868 with gold chloride staining. Gold chloride has affinity for nerve cells, so it was always thought that it is a neurogenic cell, derived from the neural crest, while its function is still not fully understood. In the 1950s and 1960s, many authors considered LCs as pigment-forming cells. Skin melanin is synthesized intracellularly and delivered to the epidermis via dendritic processes.