Ultrastructure of skin window cells in normal subjects

Ultrastructural studies have been made of skin window inflammatory cells in 22 healthy human subjects at 24 hours and 48 hours after an initial abrasion. Large numbers of macrophages and neutrophil polymorphs were seen at both intervals. Compared with the 24 hours specimens, macrophages at 48 hours tended to have more eccentric and less irregular nuclei, as well as more voluminous cytoplasm; phagosomes and large vacuoles were much more prominent and cell diameters were larger. The differences are consistent with maturational changes in the macrophages during the inflammatory response. In the neutrophil polymorphs, the nuclei were frequently pycnotic and showed multiple profiles, and the complement of granules was small. Other cell types were only occasionally encountered. It is concluded that ultrastructural studies of skin window cells may have an application in investigating maturational defects of macrophages in malignant states.