[Immunobiology of dendritic cells and their application in clinical practice]

Dendritic cells play a central role in the regulation of the immune responses towards cellular or humoral immunity. Several types of dendritic cells can be distinguished, which originate from different hematopoietic lineages, and differ from each other in function, morphology and localization within the organism. Immature dendritic cell-precursors originate from bone marrow haemopoietic stem cells, circulate in blood system and reach peripheral tissues, where they differentiate into active antigen capturing and processing cells. They have further maturation by the effect of adequate signals (antigen stimuli and inflammatory cytokines) and migrate into secondary lymphoid organs, presented cell surface MHC molecules-linked peptides from antigens which they have captured and processed, to T lymphocytes, induce immune reaction by T cell activation. Apart from the fact that dendritic cells as professional antigen presenting cells are essential to induction T cell-mediated immune responses, they influence activation and function of B lymphocytes and effector cells of natural immune system by cytokines and cell-cell interactions.

Complex regulatory function of dendritic cells make a possibility for artificial alteration of immune processes by modification of dendritic cells: direct against definitive antigens, increase or decrease their intensity, hereby we can accomplish the immunotherapy of different diseases such as tumors, infection, autoimmune diseases, transplants' rejection.