Novel Approach to Bile Duct Damage in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: Participation of Cellular Senescence and Autophagy
Figure 4
Increased expression of CCL2 in inflamed and damaged bile ducts in PBC. (a) The expression of CCL2 was absent or faint in biliary epithelial cells (BECs) in the small bile duct (arrow) in normal liver (top). CCL2 was extensively expressed in the membrane and cytoplasm of damaged and senescent BECs (arrows) in the early stage of PBC (bottom). Immunostaining for CCL2. Original magnification, ×400. (b) The expression of CCL2 was significantly more frequent and intense in inflamed small bile ducts in PBC, when compared with noninflamed small bile ducts in PBC and small bile ducts in control livers (). CVH: chronic viral hepatitis; NASH: nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; EBO: extrahepatic biliary obstruction; NL: normal liver.
